There are good reasons to fear that the upcoming November 8 election in the United States will mark the swan song of electoral democracy.
As a congressional commission revealed on January 6, 2021, Donald Trump and his supporters tried to hijack the will of the American electorate after the 2020 election.
For the former president and his followers, it was just a reprieve. Ahead of the midterm elections, many of the safeguards that have kept democracy in check in 2020 are under serious threat, which is worse for 2024.
Election denialism
The drummer’s game plan was clear: maintaining skepticism about the electoral process and manipulating electoral institutions to guarantee Donald Trump and his party’s grip on power.
Although many Republicans condemned Trump’s coup attempt after January 6, 2021, their voices have since faded. Today, a majority of Republican voters are buying into the lies spread by Trump that the 2020 election was rigged. (Reminder: This is wrong, Trump knows it, and he has no evidence of major fraud.) Step FiveThirtyEight.com552 Republican nominees for representatives, senators, governors, secretaries of state or Attorney General 200 completely deny the legitimacy of the 2020 results, 61 seriously question it and 122 refuse to comment.
Strategic positions
Among these Holocaust deniers are many candidates for key positions who have a good chance of being elected in key states that will decide the winner of the 2024 presidential election. These elected officials can arbitrarily disqualify thousands of voters or refuse to count their votes. This opens the door for Trump to return to the White House.
This is especially true in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, where many Holocaust deniers have a good chance of winning. For example, in Arizona, a key state in 2020, the Republican candidate for secretary of state, Mark Finchem, has openly pledged to use all means at the chief election officer’s disposal to facilitate Republican victories.
Real risks
These highly visible candidates are not the only ones who threaten the integrity of the electoral process. Local election watchdogs are gearing up to make it harder for Democratic voters to get to the polls and challenge the validity of their votes.
Intimidation will be used to discourage “unwanted” voters, or the validity of the votes of those who dare to challenge this intimidation will be systematically challenged. In some states, including Florida, voter fraud charges are multiplying, leaving citizens unsure of their voter status to leave the polls.
In short, the dangers awaiting American democracy are real. Despite this, there is a strong chance that Republicans will make big electoral gains in November, even if they openly show their disdain for Democratic values and tend to remove uncertainty from the 2024 results. What you want is expensive to fill in a big car…
