By Steven Barasch:
Most conspiracy theories are laughable at best. However, when it comes from an influencer such as a political or government leader, we as a nation are in trouble. There are currently over eighty candidates running on former President Trump’s “Big Lie” conspiracy theory. Trump has falsely claimed that he won the election. Every legal avenue he pursued, which was his right, was denied as every court upheld the election results because there was no compelling evidence. To this day he continues to spread lies about its legitimacy, he backed “forensic” audits, and promoted conspiracy theories. The result? An undermining of our voting rights and democracy.
At least fifty-one Republican candidates who are running for governor in 24 states are basing their platform on the false claim the 2020 presidential election was rigged or stolen by Democrats.
There are at least 21 election deniers in 18 states running for secretary of state. That position would put them in power to oversee voting in their state. Eleven more election deniers are running for attorney general. That position would allow them to be involved in litigation and law enforcement election matters. Ironically, they are using the very same election system they have condemned.
From the Top Straight Down
Yet this represents only a small number of elections conspiracists and deniers. There’s a lot more that don’t get into the media news cycle. Quoting Trump “Sometimes the vote counter is more important than the candidate,” which he said in a video on January 14, 2022.
Since the 2020 election there has been a concentrated effort to place supporters in key local elections at both the county and municipal levels by Trump allies.
Quoting Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who fended off multiple legal challenges to her election, “There are local efforts to place individuals on local canvassing boards who also play a role in certifying our elections. You have a clear line for election subversion in the future if these individuals are elected with his support.” Benson warned that these election deniers are vying for positions that could potentially allow them to “change election results.”
She went on to say, ”Misinformation spread by Trump supporters and threats against election officials are all part of a multi-tier effort designed to, in some ways, create a ripe environment that could accept the results of an election being overturned because there’s been so much confusion and chaos and instances of illegitimacy suggested through various means. This misinformation campaign is also a critical component of enabling these individuals … to be poised to block or overturn election results that they don’t support.”
A person who has even the bare minimum of intellect is going to ask why this is happening. Understanding it doesn’t change it. All the psychological stuff hardly matters when only 19-21% of Republicans believe Joe Biden won the election. See YouGov Poll April 2021.
Taking Away Voting Rights People Already Had
Republican state led legislatures are imposing voting restrictions that will suppress voter turnout. Urban areas and communities of color are the target because they tend to vote Democratic. In the last year state legislators introduced at least 260 bills that would cause interference with the nonpartisan administration of elections. Thirty-two were signed into law in 17 states. There is more to come as legislative sessions continue this year. All are in response to Trump’s election conspiracy theories from last year. Simply put, change the rules, change the referees and the results will change. Ron DeSantis, the current anti-every-minority governor in Florida has just created an “Election Police Force” dedicated to pursuing voter fraud and other election crimes. There were no significant events in Florida’s last election that the Republican Party carried that election by a substantial margin. Yet, spurred on by his party base of conspiracy believers and “Big Lie” believers he created a police force with virtually nothing to police. Local prosecutors have done good job handling any election fraud issue.
Although this picture from the Nazi’s Party election from 1933 is a little exaggerated as a comparison to DeSantis’s Election Police. However, it should come as a warning to what could come……. again.
Albert Camus was an Algerian-born French philosopher, author, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44. He once wrote: “Democracy is not the law of the majority but the protection of the minority.”
Conspiracy theories are a dangerous form of misinformation that can lead to mistrust and even violence. When presented with information that contradicts their beliefs, conspiracy theorists become more entrenched in their beliefs. Thus, the foundation was set for January 6, 2021, an insurrection and attempted coup d’état led by the then President of the United States.