My biggest concern over these new election laws in states like Georgia, Arizona, etc., is the

[JohnSJ]

partisan takeover of election boards, and allow them to fine election officials and overturn results.

We almost lost Michigan because there were republicans refusing to certify the election results. We were very lucky.

"Michigan Republicans Backtrack After Refusing to Certify Election Results
G.O.P. members of the elections board in Wayne County, which includes Detroit and is heavily Democratic, reversed their decision to hold up approval of Joe Biden’s victory after an outcry.

DETROIT — Republican members of a key Michigan elections board refused on Tuesday to certify Detroit’s election results in a nakedly partisan effort to hold up Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory over President Trump — only to reverse themselves after an outcry from the city’s voters and state officials.

The initial deadlock and pressure-packed turnaround capped a chaotic day of repeated Republican misfires in the party’s attempt to undermine the election results. Republicans lost a case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and faced a skeptical reception in a separate hearing in federal court in Pennsylvania, and an audit in Georgia confirmed there was no foul play with voting machines.

The Republican gambit in Detroit was among the starkest examples of how previously routine aspects of the nation’s voting system have been tainted by Mr. Trump’s effort to challenge his defeat, and he appeared to revel in the night’s chaos with celebratory tweets attacking Detroit even after the deadlock ended.

But the reversal by the elections board in Wayne County — which is home to Detroit — showed the limits of what has been, in essence, an effort to disenfranchise large numbers of Americans. The board’s G.O.P. members certified the results only after voters there angrily accused the Republicans of trying to steal their votes."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/us/politics/michigan-certify-election-results.html

If this is not addressed in the courts ASAP, this will come back an haunt us

[Elessar Zappa]

1. Republicans

better be prepared for riots if they overturn a fair election result. People aren't going to sit back and take that bullshit.

[JohnSJ]

2. I think they are betting that most people won't care

[Elessar Zappa]

3. I think they'd be in for a surprise.

To be clear, I'm not advocating riots or violence but I think it would be the inevitable result. Hopefully the courts will overturn some of these laws or we pass the voting rights bill in Congress.

[JohnSJ]

11. I know

[dameatball]

10. I'm not sure that they would mind the turmoil. That's what the 3 Percenters, et al, are for.

[LymphocyteLover]

4. Yes, that is some truly fucked up fascist bullshit

[joetheman]

5. There may be an unforeseen consequence that benefits Democrats.

The loss of money in GA for one day will be made up over the next several elections because the MLB move drew much more attention to what the GOP is doing with state and local election boards and officials.

I firmly believe that many, many more Democrats will be out in force in state and local elections across the country and in a few years Dems will be in solid control in what are now "swing states."

The Democrats have the best opportunity since 1964 to take control of the message and focus the attention of the new and young voters on civics and state and local elections. Democrats need to focus on their messaging more. They also need to take the civics message to colleges and universities and especially HBCUs and once again call on the new breed of politicians to begin a movement akin to Americore and invite the young to join a movement for good governance and an economy where all citizens have the opportunity and means to succeed in earning a living wage. That alone will reduce the need for deficit spending over the long run.

[Elessar Zappa]

8. Good post, I agree!

[UCmeNdc]

6. 100% Correct! Republicans have made voting almost useless because in the end they pick the winner!

It all should be ruled unconstitutional and highly illegal.

[jaxexpat]

7. This is MORE important than breathing, folks. That is if you prefer free air.

[samnsara]

9. yep this scares me a lot..we can NOT..MUST NOT.... go thru a trumper in office anywhere again.

[SmartVoter22]

12. Pass HR 1 then

Pass HR 1, the voting reform bill, with the weird name ( but they are all weirdly named) "For The People Act".
Once passed, the new law would remove many of the tools used to gerrymander districts and increase oversight of campaign finances.

The one thing HR 1 does, is prevent one party from unfair district boundary mapping. (See Wisconsin) The new law would assure an independent review of every voting map, and place restrictions on what cannot be done. (Again See Wisconsin).

What the bill does not do is remove the key variable that gerrymanderers actually use to create unfair maps.
That variable is known as the 'deviations'. There are two types; population and geographic deviations which are written into the Constitution. No district should have more or less population that others and the dimensions of the mapped district should not deviate beyond a certain percentage, meaning the x/y map should be equal to other districts in a state. Mapping uses unpopulated areas, like water, industrial and farmland to change the maps to find habitated areas. But 6% leaves alot of geographic area and way too many voters
that are being left out, avoided or moved to other districts to provide insurmountable advantages to one party.
The current deviation percentages can go as high as 11% and averages about 6-8%.
This means the district next to your own, may have 6% more voters. Most Congressional districts hold over one million people, and 6% is about 60,000 votes.

If HR 1 was to really end gerrymandering, it would include new deviation limits. Change them to a very low number like 0.00125% for population deviations (the 60,000 voter deviation would become 1,250 voters) and limit geographic deviations to 0.005%, which would prevent districts from becoming 300 ft x 300 mile dimensions.
With low deviations, it would be extremely difficult to gerrymander an entire state, say a state like (Wisconsin) which is currently requiring Dems to win over 60% of the vote to come close to winning. Majority rule is not a 60% advantage for one party. It's a legal coup.

Passing HR 1 would begin the end of gerrymandering. It will take more, afterwards, but everything we want must become a law first.
The GOP should be forced into a corner on the deviation issue and the independent oversight issue.

[Tbear]

13. Nice explanation of gerrymandering deviations

Thanks

[crickets]

16. Excellent post. nt

[Wounded Bear]

14. Yeah, the whole food and water on line is a bit of a distraction...

yes it's important, but the real focus should be on these issues of repub legislatures gerrymandered into perpetual false majorities will pollute the local voting boards.

[PortTack]

15. Many of these laws, at least the most extreme parts will not stand up in the courts

That has been proven especially in this last election cycle.

And yes we need to pass HR1/S1