Day 1,343: If Trump, GOP can’t disenfranchise enough voters, they’re scheming to cancel votes wholesale
Donald Trump and the Republican Party have taken an antidemocratic stance and tried to disenfranchise voters for years for the simple reason that there are more people who lean left in the country than right. For example, by reducing the pool of minority voters, who are predominately left-leaning, they increase their chances of winning.
Now, Trump and the GOP are actively planning a step even more sinister: canceling legitimate votes outright.
We are accustomed to choosing electors by popular vote, but nothing in the Constitution says it has to be that way. Article II provides that each state shall appoint electors “in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct.” Since the late 19th century, every state has ceded the decision to its voters. Even so, the Supreme Court affirmed in Bush v. Gore that a state “can take back the power to appoint electors.” How and when a state might do so has not been tested for well over a century.
Trump may test this. According to sources in the Republican Party at the state and national levels, the Trump campaign is discussing contingency plans to bypass election results and appoint loyal electors in battleground states where Republicans hold the legislative majority. With a justification based on claims of rampant fraud, Trump would ask state legislators to set aside the popular vote and exercise their power to choose a slate of electors directly. The longer Trump succeeds in keeping the vote count in doubt, the more pressure legislators will feel to act before the safe-harbor deadline expires.
The phrases “bypass election results” and “set aside the popular vote” are something seen when people describe sham elections in faux democracies and authoritarian countries: the Russias of the world, the Syrias of the world, and apparently, if Trump gets his way, the United Stateses of the world.
Trump is banking on enough state-level Republicans to love him or, at the very least, to be afraid to cross him, and side with party over country. To date, there’s nearly four years of evidence that show they’re likely to fall in line if pushed even a little.
They discourage citizens from voting. Then, if that fails, they make it harder to vote. Then, if that fails, they start eliminating votes in smaller numbers. Now, apparently, one of the options is to do away with the will of the voters if their party’s candidate loses.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud, but Trump is already preparing to claim it either way. Again, his team is readying to report an incident that has not happened and there is no evidence will happen.
The GOP’s plan is Orwellian: If Trump wins, the election must have been legitimate. If Trump loses, the election must have been fraudulent.
It’s the GOP’s last gasp at maintaining power by any means necessary. And a final decision could come down to a Supreme Court that is weighed by justices appointed by Republicans, and will likely get an additional Trump-appointed member very soon.
And even if all of that fails, and the election is certified as a Joe Biden victory, Trump refuses to guarantee he’ll leave office peacefully.
1,343 days in, 119 to go
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