Critics of President Trump have repeatedly warned of his potential to undermine American democracy. Among the concerns are his repeated assertions that he would have won the popular vote had 3 to 5 million âillegalsâ not voted in the 2016 election, a claim echoed by the head of a White House advisory committee on voter fraud. Claims of large-scale voter fraud are not true, but that has not stopped a substantial number of Republicans from believing them. But how far would Republicans be willing to follow the president to stop what they perceive as rampant fraud? Our recent survey suggests that the answer is quite far: About half of Republicans say they would support postponing the 2020 presidential election until the country can fix this problem.
The last word in that sentence really should be in quotes. Voter fraud is a not "problem," as the Washington Post points out earlier in that graph. It is itself a fraudâa fraud perpetrated by the GOP to justify voter suppression efforts. Efforts like this:
State and local Republicans have expanded early voting in GOP-dominated areas and restricted it in Democratic areas, an IndyStar investigation has found, prompting a significant change in Central Indiana voting patterns. From 2008 to 2016, GOP officials expanded early voting stations in Republican dominated Hamilton County, IndyStar's analysis found, and decreased them in the state's biggest Democratic hotbed, Marion County. That made voting more convenient in GOP areas for people with transportation issues or busy schedules. And the results were immediate.
And this:
President Donald Trumpâs administration has reversed the governmentâs position on a voter roll case before the U.S. Supreme Court and is now backing Ohioâs method for purging voters. Ohioâs system for removing inactive voters from the rolls does not violate the National Voter Registration Act, the Justice Department said Monday. The governmentâs filing said it reconsidered its position following the change in administrations. The Justice Department under President Barack Obama said Ohioâs method was prohibited.
And right now Trump has a commission/cabal hard at work rationalizing, justifying, and crafting more and worse voter suppression tactics. After the calamity last Novemberâafter the United States committed bigot-assisted suicideâliberals were advised to move to red states if we really wanted to make a difference in the 2018 and 2020 elections. But what good does liberals relocating to red states do if we're blocked from voting once we get there?
And what he said:
