Beware Sham Voter Protection

[Nevilledog]

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Marc E. Elias
@marceelias
If you read one thing today, make it this👇

"Sorry, but this kind of 'reform' is worse than nothing. It is bipartisanship on Republican terms and it fails to address the real threats to American democracy."

prospect.org
Beware Sham Voter Protection
Today on TAP: Reform of the 1887 Electoral Count Act is a fake maneuver that will not protect against the real threats.
8:20 AM · Jan 24, 2022

https://prospect.org/blogs/tap/beware-sham-voter-protection/

*snip*

Sorry, but this kind of “reform” is worse than nothing. It is bipartisanship on Republican terms and it fails to address the real threats to American democracy.

Article II of the Constitution provides that presidential electors shall be appointed “in such manner as the Legislature thereof shall direct.” The escalating threats to a free and fair election are not in the procedures of final count when Congress gathers, but at the state and local level.

According to the latest report of the Brennan Center, partisan reviews of election results were attempted in six states in 2020 (Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin), and similar legislation has been prefiled in five more (Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Tennessee). If Republican legislatures and governors can rig the results before they notify Washington of the certified winner, preventing mischief in the final count by the VP is beside the point.

In addition, Republicans are trying the same maneuvers at the local level, taking over election boards as well as erecting barriers to the right to vote. According to Brennan, at least 152 restrictive bills in 18 states will make it harder to vote.

Even the now-moribund voting legislation pending before the Senate does not address all of these abuses. If that legislation does go down, we have three avenues to keep democracy alive: litigation in state courts, full use by the attorney general of what remains of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and a massive voter mobilization and turnout.

*snip*