Republicans’ 2022 Lesson: Voters Who Trust Elections Are More Likely to Vote

[jpn]

The following is a heavily edited version of this article in today's NY Times:

Tabulation machines in Maricopa County, Arizona, began rejecting thousands of ballots, a result of a printer error.​

Voters were told to place their ballots in a secure box kept at every polling station for just such situations. Their votes would be counted later, at the county’s central tabulation center.​

But some Republicans, primed by years of Trump’s stolen-election lies, this smelled of trouble.​

Suspicions flew across Twitter and right-wing media.​

“Do not trust them,” Charlie Kirk, the conservative leader, warned his followers.​

​

Later that morning, the Republican candidate for governor, Kari Lake, held a news conference to deliver the opposite message. The alternate procedure was safe, her campaign lawyer said. “Vote, vote, vote,’’ Ms. Lake added. “We’ve got to vote today.”​

What a great example of being bitten by the ass for irresponsible GOP lies about elections, stemming from Trump's unwillingness to accept his loss in 2020.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Trump has been an albatross around the neck of the GOP and he will continue to be until the party shakes off its TDS.

Can't very well push the lie that elections are rigged to his cult, and then expect them to have much enthusiasm for voting.

 

[bomberfox]

Trump has been an albatross around the neck of the GOP and he will continue to be until the party shakes off its TDS.

Can't very well push the lie that elections are rigged to his cult, and then expect them to have much enthusiasm for voting.

Albatross? He gave them exactly what they wanted, the courts.

 

[SNOWFLAKE]

I think we need our resident expert on election fraud @Mycroft brought into this conversation to give us the straight goods.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Albatross? He gave them exactly what they wanted, the courts.

While losing the 2016 popular vote. And the 2018 midterms. And the 2020 election (both WH and Senate). And now the 2022 midterms. That's a lot of losing (even when they won). And now the GOP has to find a way to appeal to more than just Trumplicans, because Republicans willing to stay quiet so long as they held power are leaping from the SS Trumpy.

But yeah, I'm sure some will say "Okay sure - but hooray courts!"

 

[Mycroft]

The Arizona election cannot be certified.

 

[OrphanSlug]

At this point I am convinced Republicans will complain about fraud until they get their way and elect who they want no matter what the votes say.

The damage Trump did to this nation rages on.

 

[Lycanthrope]

View attachment 67423236

The Arizona election cannot be certified.

And there it is - the only response the Trump cult is capable of.

 

[Mycroft]

And there it is - the only response the Trump cult is capable of.

Fair and transparent elections are pretty important.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Fair and transparent elections are pretty important.

Provide proof that Arizona's wasn't (an election process designed and approved by Republicans, mind you) or grab a ketchup bottle and head to Mar a Lago.

 

[bomberfox]

While losing the 2016 popular vote. And the 2018 midterms. And the 2020 election (both WH and Senate). And now the 2022 midterms. That's a lot of losing (even when they won). And now the GOP has to find a way to appeal to more than just Trumplicans, because Republicans willing to stay quiet so long as they held power are leaping from the SS Trumpy.

But yeah, I'm sure some will say "Okay sure - but hooray courts!"

They will. That was the GOP’s long term goal to capture the courts. It was the federalist society’s #1 goal. They wanted to overturn even bit by bit gains that the Warren court and the new deal court accomplished. I watched these guys since 2005. Its a long term project that was most successful under trump and mcconnel.

 

[bomberfox]

Moore v. Harper - SCOTUSblog

Independent News and Analysis on the U.S. Supreme Court

www.scotusblog.com

This is another thing the GOP is gunning for which makes it plain as day republicans will never do anything about gerrymandering.

 

[Lycanthrope]

They will. That was the GOP’s long term goal to capture the courts. It was the federalist society’s #1 goal. They wanted to overturn even bit by bit gains that the Warren court and the new deal court accomplished. I watched these guys since 2005. Its a long term project that was most successful under trump and mcconnel.

Will that long term project have lasting success, or just immediate gratification? What happens when those judges die/retire and there's nothing but Democrats in power to appoint replacements?

I mean yeah, if the object was to make sure people McConnell's age got to enjoy stacked courts for the remainder of their lives then I guess it worked. Not saying you're wrong mind you, just curious.

 

[bubbabgone]

The following is a heavily edited version of this article in today's NY Times:

Tabulation machines in Maricopa County, Arizona, began rejecting thousands of ballots, a result of a printer error.​

Voters were told to place their ballots in a secure box kept at every polling station for just such situations. Their votes would be counted later, at the county’s central tabulation center.​

But some Republicans, primed by years of Trump’s stolen-election lies, this smelled of trouble.​

Suspicions flew across Twitter and right-wing media.​

“Do not trust them,” Charlie Kirk, the conservative leader, warned his followers.​

​

Later that morning, the Republican candidate for governor, Kari Lake, held a news conference to deliver the opposite message. The alternate procedure was safe, her campaign lawyer said. “Vote, vote, vote,’’ Ms. Lake added. “We’ve got to vote today.”​

What a great example of being bitten by the ass for irresponsible GOP lies about elections, stemming from Trump's unwillingness to accept his loss in 2020.

Since you brought it up and you have the NYT subscription ...

Election judge Michele Swinick has come forward to report what she experienced in Maricopa County on Election Day. She worked Election Day as a judge at the Islamic Voting Center in Scottsdale, AZ. She reports that the center is heavily Republican, with “no party” designated voters as the second most populous demographic, followed by very few democrat voters, evidenced by the fact that she checked in very few of them on Election Day. She reports she spent the entire day checking in voters.

Swinick says that the tabulators all worked “perfectly” during the test the night before the election. The problem with scanning began immediately with the first ballots. Voters scanned their ballots between 4 and 12 times with very minimal success. Poll workers estimated about 1 in 10 ballots were being read for the first three hours of voting.

Voters were given options to either spoil their ballots and try again or drop them into a different section called “Door 3.” As per Swinick, their inspector had to empty the ballots from “Door 3” three times throughout the early afternoon because of the volume of ballots. Typically, ballots aren’t supposed to be removed from that box until polls close, but they made an exception because the box was jamming and became too full.
...
Per Swinick’s inspector, an offsite supervisor had advised “Because of the situation” to put all “door 3” ballots that had not been scanned through a tabulator into a separate black bag and to label them “misreads.” As a judge, Michele told UncoverDC that she personally signed the sticker placed over the bag’s zipper, and then these bags were sent to the tabulation center to be counted. Michele informed us that the normal process for a ballot that is “unread” is for poll workers to run the ballots through the tabulators one more time before sending them to the center. As per Swinick, this was not done.
The County had set up a website to give voters the ability to check that their vote was counted. The problem is Michele has proven that the website isn’t correct and seems to be using a voter’s “check in” as evidence their vote was tabulated rather than the actual tabulation of the vote. Michele offered her first-hand proof of this.
...

The "first-hand proof of this" followed in the article if you care to read it but I highlighted the thrust of the possible problem.

Maricopa County Election Judge Speaks Out

No matter what the results of the midterm elections are in Arizona, Maricopa County is yet again at the center of controversy, and for a good reason. Election judge Michele Swinick has come forward to report what she experienced in Maricopa County on Election Day. She worked Elect

www.uncoverdc.com

 

[Simon W. Moon]

​

 

[Simon W. Moon]

Since you brought it up and you have the NYT subscription ...


The "first-hand proof of this" followed in the article if you care to read it but I highlighted the thrust of the possible problem.

"first-hand proof of this"
Explain your pronoun, please.

What exactly is the "this" in this phrase you posted?

 

[Lycanthrope]

View attachment 67423257​

If team Trump "thoroughly and conclusively" documented 2020 election fraud such that it denied Donald a 2nd term, how was his legal team so inept that they couldn't provide it to over 60 courts? Why aren't they providing it to friendly media?

It's a rhetorical question obviously - Trump is a bullshit artist, and a poor one at that. I do agree with him somewhat on one thing - his bullshit may well have suppressed red state turnout.

 

[uptower]

Let's hope Trump keeps peddling his election fraud lies then, and his followers believe him and stay home.

 

[Simon W. Moon]

If team Trump "thoroughly and conclusively" documented 2020 election fraud such that it denied Donald a 2nd term, how was his legal team so inept that they couldn't provide it to over 60 courts? Why aren't they providing it to friendly media?
It's a rhetorical question obviously - Trump is a bullshit artist, and a poor one at that.

I only hope that those inclined to listen to Trump listen to Trump on this matter.

 

[uptower]

Fair and transparent elections are pretty important.

They are transparent. Trump is the only one who says they're not - because he doesn't like losing, and he and his followers have never provided any evidence.

Now "fair" is a a harder one, given all the gerrymandering and voter suppression and frankly the dinosaur that is the electoral college. I suppose that's only "unfair" when the opposition defies these built in roadblocks and gets out and votes.

 

[bubbabgone]

"first-hand proof of this"
Explain your pronoun, please.

What exactly is the "this" in this phrase you posted?

I said ...

The "first-hand proof of this" followed in the article if you care to read it but I highlighted the thrust of the possible problem.

The phrase was taken from the quoted paragraphs in the article that you apparently chose not to read.
The "this" mainly refers to what I highlighted from the article.
It was clear, assuming the DP reader followed my suggestion to read the article.

 

[Bullseye]

The following is a heavily edited version of this article in today's NY Times:

Tabulation machines in Maricopa County, Arizona, began rejecting thousands of ballots, a result of a printer error.​

Voters were told to place their ballots in a secure box kept at every polling station for just such situations. Their votes would be counted later, at the county’s central tabulation center.​

But some Republicans, primed by years of Trump’s stolen-election lies, this smelled of trouble.​

Suspicions flew across Twitter and right-wing media.​

“Do not trust them,” Charlie Kirk, the conservative leader, warned his followers.​

​

Later that morning, the Republican candidate for governor, Kari Lake, held a news conference to deliver the opposite message. The alternate procedure was safe, her campaign lawyer said. “Vote, vote, vote,’’ Ms. Lake added. “We’ve got to vote today.”​

What a great example of being bitten by the ass for irresponsible GOP lies about elections, stemming from Trump's unwillingness to accept his loss in 2020.

And yet it was most republican states that passed the laws that increased the security of the elections this year. Maybe you don't remember the Dems putting up a big stink over every increased security law - Biden even called them Jim Crow 2.0.

 

[bomberfox]

Will that long term project have lasting success, or just immediate gratification? What happens when those judges die/retire and there's nothing but Democrats in power to appoint replacements?

I mean yeah, if the object was to make sure people McConnell's age got to enjoy stacked courts for the remainder of their lives then I guess it worked. Not saying you're wrong mind you, just curious.

Also lower courts were heavily stacked but yeah. They get gen xers on the court who will be around for a very long time.

 

[uptower]

Fair and transparent elections are pretty important.

 

[mike2810]

Funny how for some Republicans in Arizona the election was fine if a Republican wins. If they don't it must be the election was rigged.

So stupid.