Joyful political cannon fodder march into the guns
On the Docket newsletter from Marc Elias spotlights mass attempts to challenge people’s right to vote:
With only two months left before the November midterm elections, a conservative group is challenging the eligibility of thousands of Georgia voters. On Monday, Aug. 29, VoterGA challenged the registrations of 37,500 voters in Gwinnett County, a formerly Republican stronghold that has trended Democratic since 2016.
- What does it mean to challenge a voter’s eligibility? In a legal, though outdated, process in most states, an individual can challenge a voter’s eligibility if that individual has a suspicion that a registered voter is actually not qualified to vote. The laws vary from state to state, but frivolous challenges can target certain communities, disenfranchise voters and overwhelm election officials during an already busy time.
Georgia is the hotbed for mass challenges. In December 2020, the conservative group True the Vote challenged 364,000 voters in the lead up to the U.S. Senate runoffs in Georgia that decided control of the chamber. (Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight sued True the Vote; a year and a half later, we are awaiting a ruling in the case any day now.) Instead of curbing this problematic practice, the Georgia Legislature and Gov. Brian Kemp (R) further empowered it with the state’s omnibus voter suppression law, Senate Bill 202. Earlier this year, a single man challenged 13,000 registrations in Forsyth County. VoterGA’s announcement brings the number of challenges this election cycle in Georgia to 65,000.
Also last week, it was reported that hundreds of registered voters were challenged in two of Iowa’s most populous counties. Iowa law permits individuals to challenge registrations if they believe the information is incorrect or fraudulent. Election officials in Iowa speculate the increase in challenges is inspired by continued falsehoods about the 2020 election.
What gets repeatedly missed in these stories about Republican efforts to harm Democrats is that Republicans don’t even care if these and other efforts to “stand their ground” on issues harm their own supporters. They’re playing percentages. Just so long as Democrats get the worst of it.
Mass shootings? Collateral damage.
Barriers to voting? Collateral damage.
Vaccine skepticism? Collateral damage.
Photo ID requirements: Collateral damage.
Their faithful supporters remain steadfastly joyful political cannon fodder.
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Request a copy of For The Win, 4th Edition, my free, countywide get-out-the-vote planning guide for county committees at ForTheWin.us.