Voter Suppression/Election Integrity

[GreyhoundFan]

Kennedy is such an idiot.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

A graphic representation of why the electoral college is ridiculous:

[Howl]

17 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Kennedy is such an idiot.

The thing about Kennedy that I despise so much is that his obnoxious idiocy is his convenient disguise. 

 He's educational credentials are impeccable (Vanderbilt, law school at U of Virginia, Magdalen College at Oxford).  He's a very very smart guy.  He began life as a Democrat and in 2007 navigated switching parties - he's been a successful politician for a very long time. 

To do what he does, to take the positions he takes, to harass and disrespect  Democrats and act out in the ways that he did during the impeachments and continues to do -- requires a level of abject cynicism and lack of common decency that I simply can't fathom. 

To my mind, this also makes him very dangerous, because he's a smart guy who masquerades as a hayseed. 

Edited April 22, 2021 by Howl

[WiseGirl]

How we end up with the idiots.

There is more to the thread.

And in this corner fighting against this shit..

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by WiseGirl
Add text

[Cartmann99]

 

[Howl]

Found a wonderful new portmanteau on Twitter today to describe the fluster cluck AZ recount: Fraudit (fraud + audit)

[GreyhoundFan]

Typical Repug crap:

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Election-deniers are running for a key role in swing states. It could lead to a scary 2024."

Quote

IMAGINE HOW the 2020 election might have gone if, instead of principled Republican Brad Raffensperger running Georgia’s voting system, a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist had been the state’s secretary of state, receiving calls from former president Donald Trump asking to find enough votes to overturn the results. Or if, as Mr. Trump pressured Michigan’s canvassers to refuse to certify President Biden’s win in that state, that state’s chief elections officer had helped drum up rather than tamp down the former president’s bogus fraud allegations.

These what-ifs might become the nation’s reality in 2024, with Republican election-deniers running for secretary of state in several swing states.

Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) is gunning to replace Mr. Raffensperger in Georgia, and he already has Mr. Trump’s endorsement. Mr. Hice led House Republicans in voting against counting electoral votes from swing states that preferred Mr. Biden. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution revealed a letter Mr. Hice sent to Georgia conservatives claiming that the 2020 vote was rife with “systemic voting irregularities and fraud” and that the “back-stabbing” Mr. Raffensperger worked “arm and arm with Stacey Abrams to deliver the presidency and Senate to the radical left.” These are absurd lies; extensive investigation showed no fraud, and Mr. Raffensperger is a stern conservative who wanted Republicans to win — but simply refused to fix the system on behalf of Mr. Trump.

Mr. Hice is hardly the only threat to democracy. Politico points to candidates in Arizona, Nevada and Michigan running to take over the secretary of state’s office in each key swing state. In Arizona, state Rep. Mark Finchem (R) has been a leading advocate for the shambolic vote “audit” that state Republicans are conducting, a conspiracy-fueled mess that has drawn high interest from Mr. Trump and his most dogged supporters, and he has appeared on QAnon-associated programs to promote Trump election lies. Meanwhile, former GOP congressional candidate Jim Marchant, who pushed to have his clear-cut 2020 loss thrown out in court, is running in Nevada, and Kristina Karamo, a supposed election “whistleblower,” is campaigning in Michigan.

Then there’s the turnover that may occur among election officials below the secretary of state level. Michigan Republicans unceremoniously dumped the state canvasser who dared to follow the law and certify Mr. Biden’s victory there.

Republicans of conscience must reject these extremists. Yet polls show that alarming numbers of GOP voters believe their lies. If a Jody Hice or a Mark Finchem were to win, it would become all the more important for other elected officials to defend democracy. In many places, the nuts-and-bolts election administration and vote-counting occur at the county level; local officials would have to resist undue intrusion.

These candidacies also underline the need to reform the office of state secretary of state. Empowering partisan elected officials to run voting systems is an unusual and questionable practice; at the least, states should consider barring them from seeking higher office, imposing stricter ethics rules or creating accreditation processes for top elections officials.

It is seductive to imagine that the danger to U.S. democracy passed with Mr. Trump’s departure. In fact, it may have only begun.

Some scary thoughts here.

[Ozlsn]

48 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

These candidacies also underline the need to reform the office of state secretary of state. Empowering partisan elected officials to run voting systems is an unusual and questionable practice; at the least, states should consider barring them from seeking higher office, imposing stricter ethics rules or creating accreditation processes for top elections officials

I find it so weird that it is so partisan to be honest. Neutrality should be the primary requirement for running elections, for the sake of avoiding an appearance of conflict of interest if nothing else. The Australian Electoral Commission specifically requires employees to be neutral, which in our context means not a member of a political party. (Obviously they still vote, undoubtedly hold political opinions etc like the rest of the community, but don't join political parties.) In the spoilered screenshot it is one of the main points on their jobs page, because it is seen as that important.

Spoiler

Neutrality in the people/organisations running the elections is (or possibly should be) essential in a democracy.

[GreyhoundFan]

I can see more GQPers doing this going forward: "As GOP candidate used RV for 24/7 watch, Anchorage election staff say they faced ‘unprecedented harassment’"

Quote

For Anchorage election workers, this month’s mayoral runoff was like no other. Citizen observers crowded outside the Election Center, photographing workers and writing down their license plate numbers. Inside, they filed challenge after challenge to routine counting procedures.

At times, the observers grew openly hostile. Several officials were “accosted” in the parking lot, according to the city clerk’s office. Emailed threats poured in, with one announcing that election officials “should be publicly executed.”

Meanwhile, the clerk’s office said, false claims flowed on local talk radio and blogs about “blank ballots” being smuggled into the Election Center, part of an effort to “sow distrust among voters.” Dave Bronson, the Republican candidate, parked an RV outside the center to provide 24/7 surveillance.

The result, according to a report released this week by the Anchorage city clerk, was “unprecedented harassment of election officials.”

The clerk’s report did not name either candidate as responsible for the problems, but after Bronson claimed a narrow victory, his Democratic challenger, Forrest Dunbar, accused the mayor-elect’s campaign of driving confrontations with city workers and trying to undermine confidence in Anchorage’s vote-by-mail system.

“We have witnessed aggressive, confrontational, and frankly bizarre behavior from Bronson supporters and staff toward Election Center workers,” Dunbar wrote on Facebook after conceding the race. “Coupled with their allies on the Assembly and in the far-right media, the Bronson campaign is strangely casting doubt on the election that they themselves are winning.”

Bronson did not immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post. In a statement to the Anchorage Daily News, his campaign defended its aggressive use of observers and said it had worked to mitigate any problems it caused.

“We understand the difficulty of having public scrutiny towards the elections office but those types of discussions need to happen in order to better our voting practices,” the campaign said. “When the behaviors were brought to the Bronson Campaign’s attention we would discuss the issue with the volunteer(s) and work to help provide a safe environment for everyone.”

The high drama around a traditionally sleepy municipal vote in Alaska echoes the national push by Republicans to cast doubt on voting systems and to demand recounts despite scant evidence of fraud, an effort driven by President Donald Trump’s false claims about his loss. Election officials nationwide have warned of escalating threats, leading many to quit their posts.

Voting by mail, which grew in popularity during the pandemic, has particularly drawn the ire of conservatives due to Trump’s baseless attacks on the process. Anchorage has for years used a universal mail-in system, sending ballots to every registered voter in the city. But during the campaign, the Daily News reported, Bronson supporters repeatedly questioned and attacked the mail-in procedures.

As observers from both Bronson and Dunbar’s campaigns watched those ballots being counted in the Election Center, election workers had to contend with “disrespectful, harassing and threatening behavior,” the clerk’s office said.

As observers began filing numerous challenges to the vote-counting inside, the clerk said, it quickly became evident that they didn’t understand what workers were doing.

“It was apparent from the behavior and questions … that a number of observers had not been trained by their campaign, many had not read the manual, and many did not have any understanding of the processes at the Election Center,” the clerk’s report said.

Some observers became belligerent, the clerk reported. When one was reminded not to touch a cage containing ballots, he told an elections worker, “I’ll bet when you go home at night you yell at your husband.” Then at the end of the day, he approached her again and said he “would be back to harass her more tomorrow.”

When the elections office complained to that observer’s campaign about his conduct, it played down the incident and later threatened legal action if the observer wasn’t allowed back into the center.

Meanwhile, as Bronson’s campaign parked its RV outside the center, a confrontational group hung out in the parking lot, snapping photos of election workers’ personal cars.

“Although it may be legal to photograph people and cars in public areas, the intensity and tone appeared to be geared towards intimidating officials rather than serving a legitimate purpose,” the clerk’s report said.

One worker had details from their Facebook page copied and shared online in an “attempt to discredit” them, the clerk said. Meanwhile, the clerk said, false rumors ran wild on talk radio and local blogs about boxes supposedly being removed from the Election Center, leading to a flood of calls and emails about the baseless claims.

One campaign, which the clerk didn’t identify, posted a video urging workers to be “heavily watched.”

“While we want people to come watch what we do. At times the observers acted in ways that seemed more aimed towards intimidating election officials rather than observing the process,” the clerk said.

In the end, Bronson — who based his campaign around criticisms of pandemic restrictions, like mask mandates and business closures — defeated Dunbar 50.66 percent to 49.34 percent, the Daily News reported, with more than 95 percent of voters either mailing in their ballots or using drop-off boxes. His victory was certified on Tuesday, and the clerk noted that despite the harassment, the election ran smoothly.

“The Anchorage Vote at Home/Vote by Mail system displayed flexibility, consistency, and accuracy, and thrived with record turnout and participation by voters,” the clerk’s report said.

Dunbar’s campaign warned that the observers’ tactics against officials were aimed at casting false doubt on the election — and could have led to serious conflict had Bronson lost.

“The national playbook is happening right here in this little election, too. It’s alarming to see it even on this level,” Claire Shaw, Dunbar’s campaign manager, told The Post. “If the election doesn’t go your way, then you can claim it’s fraud.”

 

[Ozlsn]

5 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Dunbar’s campaign warned that the observers’ tactics against officials were aimed at casting false doubt on the election — and could have led to serious conflict had Bronson lost

This is where it really concerns me. If you have no faith in your institutions then any result that doesn't align with the one you want becomes suspect. I am underwhelmed (putting it mildly) with the results of the last Federal election, but I trust that the election was free, fair and transparent (and unfortunately that a large number of my fellow citizens are, imho, idiots).

Also at which point does airing false claims about the election process become actionable? At which point does the harassment of staff start getting prosecuted? Because someone is going to get killed over this, if they haven't already been.

[Cartmann99]

 

[Ozlsn]

14 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

It worries me a lot that they are concerned enough to feel this is necessary.  And I agree - federal action is needed.

[Smash!]

I‘m still at loss for words that what‘s happening  isn‘t enough for the Democrats to end the filibuster. Those aren‘t normal times. It‘s about a party who has gone full fascist and not just the prospect of the 2024 elections is scary but the ones in 2022 are as well.

Biden is talking about the fight between authoritarianism and democracy but I don‘t see a strategy of the dems to actually combat that danger and preserve democracy in the US.

[Ozlsn]

[fraurosena]

4 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

Honestly though, what can she actually achieve if Congess doesn't act?

[WiseGirl]

Truth

And these are alarming times in the USA right now.

[WiseGirl]

Ugh...

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/02/politics/voting-rights-supreme-court-arizona/index.html

 

[WiseGirl]

Right?

 

[Cartmann99]

Spoiler

 

[Ozlsn]

Do all or none. You don't get to only 'lack confidence in the system' in places you lost. And do it properly with independent, non-partisan auditors. Canadians maybe?

[GreyhoundFan]

Oh look, another case of voter fraud by a repug:

 

[Cartmann99]

 

[Ozlsn]

I really should be less surprised by things like this but they still manage to shock me

Spoiler

 

I am so utterly amazed by this. Here to enrol or change your name on the roll you need a driver's licence OR an Australian passport OR verification of your identity from someone who is on the electoral roll. Enrolling federally transfers automatically to state registration roles, and moving states involves filling in one change of address form, with the above verification.  It honestly takes more time to update your driver's licence.

[fraurosena]

Even after all these years, it’s still strange to me that anyone would need to register to vote. I’ve said this before, but over here nobody needs to do that. Everyone is eligible to vote automatically once they turn 18. It doesn’t matter if it’s county, provincial or national elections. You get your ballots sent to your home address. I just don’t understand why you would go through the administrative process of registering voters over and over and over again. How horribly time consuming and unnecessary, and needlessly expensive.

Edited September 25, 2021 by fraurosena
Clarity