Contact Me By Email

Contact Me By Email

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Republicans devote $20m and 50,000 people to efforts to restrict voting The RNC is seeking people in 15 key states to serve as poll watchers and challenge the registration of voters they believe ineligible

Republicans devote $20m and 50,000 people to efforts to restrict voting

The RNC is seeking people in 15 key states to serve as poll watchers and challenge the registration of voters they believe ineligible

A man wears a mask as he walks to cast his vote.
A man wears a mask as he walks to cast his vote. Photograph: Marcio José Sánchez/AP

Donald Trump’s campaign and national Republicans are pumping millions of dollars into efforts to restrict voting and aggressively fight Democratic efforts to make it easier to cast a ballot during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Republican National Committee has allocated $20m so far to oppose Democratic lawsuits across the country seeking to expand voting. Republicans are also seeking to recruit up to 50,000 people in 15 key states to serve as poll watchers and challenge the registration of voters they believe are ineligible, according to the New York Times.

The 2020 election will be the first time in nearly three decades that national Republicans will be involved in such a program. After the RNC was sued over intimidating minority voters in New Jersey in the early 1980s, they agreed to a federal court order not to engage in “ballot security” efforts. The order expired in 2018.

Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the RNC, accused Democrats of trying to “destroy” the integrity of elections on a conference call with reporters on Monday. Several studies, however, have shown that voter fraud is exceedingly rare.

The new effort is the latest in a high-stakes battle over voting laws that has shaped the last two decades in US politics. Republicans have consistently supported voting restrictions citing voter fraud. Democrats have pushed to make it easier to vote, saying the focus on voter fraud is just an excuse Republicans use to disenfranchise certain Americans, particularly students and minorities.

“It is a sad commentary on the sorry state of the Republican party that, under Trump, its only hope for winning in November is to try to suppress the vote,” said Marc Elias, an attorney who is representing Democrats in many of their suits across the country.

Amid Covid-19, the partisan fight has reached a new level. Republicans have fought Democratic efforts in Wisconsin and other states to make it easier to vote by mail. Democrats have sued to overturn requirements they say will make it difficult to cast a ballot during a pandemic, such as requiring people to give a state-approved excuse for why they want to vote absentee or a witness for their ballots. 

“What we have seen over decades is that Republicans pursue incredibly aggressive voter suppression tactics because their agenda is unpopular and part of their strategy is to make it harder for Americans to vote,” said David Bergstein, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee. “We’re very aware that part of the Republican playbook is voter suppression and we’re fighting back.”

America faces an epic choice ...

... in the coming year, and the results will define the country for a generation. These are perilous times. Over the last three years, much of what the Guardian holds dear has been threatened – democracy, civility, truth. 

Science and reason are in a battle with conjecture and instinct to determine public policy in this time of a pandemic. Partisanship and economic interests are playing their part, too. Meanwhile, misinformation and falsehoods are routine. At a time like this, an independent news organisation that fights for data over dogma, and fact over fake, is not just optional. It is essential.

The Guardian has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. Like many other news organisations, we are facing an unprecedented collapse in advertising revenues. We rely to an ever greater extent on our readers, both for the moral force to continue doing journalism at a time like this and for the financial strength to facilitate that reporting.

You’ve read more than 34 articles in the last six months. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to fact-based news and analysis. We’ve decided to keep Guardian journalism free for all readers, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. This is made possible thanks to the support we receive from readers across America in all 50 states.“

No comments:

Post a Comment