The GOP would not be in power

Every so often the Democratic news and discussion site Daily Kos will crow about a GOP seat that flipped to Democrat in this or that state legislature. These announcements promote the feeling that Democrats will take back the Senate on 2018 to stop the GOP agenda of hurting people, and perhaps even flip the House and push sensible legislation at the nasty guy. Progressives feel pretty good! We can do this!

Then comes this article from Jeff Reifman posted on Politics of Possibility about “20 Ways The 2018 Election Will Be Stolen.” And the good feeling deflates. Some of these I knew about, some I didn’t. Here’s the list:

1. Electoral College. In 2016 14 states got 99% of the campaign spending and 95% of the campaign stops.

2. Gerrymandering. I’m personally working against this one with Michigan’s Voters Not Politicians campaign. If it makes it to the ballot we expect tons of money to hit us. A Wisconsin case was heard by the Supremes today. It could determine the fate of democracy in America. And Putin, known for his poisons, may have fresh targets on Ginsburg, Kennedy, and Breyer (who are pretty old anyway).

3. Sabotaging the 2020 Census, which determines Congressional seat allocation.

4. Hacking Voting Machines.

5. Attacking the Legal Basis for Voting. This is the consequence of the 2013 ruling by the Supremes that gutted a key part of the Voting Rights Act.

6. Attacking Voter Registration. Purposely running a registration drive and discarding or invalidating the collected forms.

7. Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program. Supposedly to identify a person registered to vote in more than one state it is intentionally faulty enough to match a lot of minority names.

8. Election Integrity Commission. It has already requested voter data from the states. Even if it didn’t use it to justify fresh voter suppression laws, think about all this data in the hands of a group such as the Russians who ran very targeted Facebook ads.

9. Attacking Voter Rolls. We’ve seen purges by GOP operatives. Likely there will be hacks and purges by Russian operatives.

10. Voter ID Laws. It is always harder (because it is designed to be) for minorities and working poor to get an acceptable ID

11. Attacking Voter Access. Why is the Secretary of State in most states a partisan position? Voter access is such things as not enough voting machines causing long lines, avoidable registration errors, and ballots invalidated by faulty voting machines. In 2004 these things made the difference in Ohio, which made the difference in Kerry losing the presidency. Even holding elections on Tuesday prevents low income people from voting.

12. Block Felons from Voting. Even long after they’ve served their sentence. In our justice system a high percentage of felons are minority.

13. Hacking the Democratic Party. In 2016 the stolen data allowed Russia to influence the vote.

14. Blocking Recounts. This happened in Michigan after the close 2016 presidential election.

15. Election Dirty Tricks. Robo calls or flyers that mislead voters, “poll watchers” who casually carry guns.

16. Propaganda. Russia has been very good at this.

17. Citizens United. The 2010 case that opened the floodgates to campaign cash.

18. Packing the Federal District Courts. The GOP made sure there were 130 vacant seats when Obama left office. The nasty guy is letting the conservative Federalist Society vet judges for him.

19. Packing the Supreme Court. The blockade of Merrick Garland.

20. Amending the Constitution. 34 states can call a Constitutional Convention. The GOP has control of 32 state legislatures. On the agenda would be a balanced budget amendment (forcing the gov’t to drop the social safety net and practically every service except the military) and voter limitations.

Conclusion: The GOP would not be in power without these tactics. They are working towards a one-party state.

Likely most of these tactics are based in racism, implemented to keep minority people from voting.