The MAGA fascists are determined to destroy democracy in this country, part infinity:
Supporters
of former president Donald Trump have swamped local election offices
across the nation in recent weeks with a coordinated campaign of
requests for 2020 voting records, in some cases paralyzing preparations
for the fall election season.
In
nearly two dozen states and scores of counties, election officials are
fielding what many describe as an unprecedented wave of public records
requests in the final weeks of summer, one they say may be intended to
hinder their work and weaken an already strained system. The avalanche
of sometimes identically worded requests has forced some to dedicate
days to the process of responding even as they scurry to finalize
polling locations, mail out absentee ballots and prepare for early
voting in October, officials said. [snip]
The
use of mass records requests by the former president’s supporters
effectively weaponizes laws aimed at promoting principles of a
democratic system — that the government should be transparent and
accountable. Public records requests are a key feature of that system,
used by regular citizens, journalists and others. In interviews,
officials emphasized that they are trying to follow the law and fulfill
the requests, but they also believe the system is being abused.
“When
you are asking for every single document under the sun, it becomes
difficult for us to do our job,” said Claire Woodall-Vogg, the executive
director of the Milwaukee Election Commission.
Many administrators said they suspect that may be the point. (our emphasis)
It's exactly the point.
Not only are these tactics impeding election offices from doing their job in the 2022 mid-terms, they're also laying the groundwork for endless Big Lie claims of voter fraud and chicanery in order to delegitimize elections that MAGA Republicans don't win. Any request that isn't fulfilled will be painted as proof of fraud (for that matter, even requests that are fulfilled will likely suffer the same fate). Furiously undercutting democratic election systems and then subsequently claiming those systems failed to produce honest results is right out of the authoritarian handbook that MAGA Republicans have adopted as their own.
President Biden was right:
... MAGA Republicans do not respect the
Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not
recognize the will of the people.
They refuse to accept the
results of a free election. And they’re working right now, as I speak,
in state after state to give power to decide elections in America to
partisans and cronies, empowering election deniers to undermine
democracy itself.
They want to break the system, not work within it. Call it what it is: January 6 Coup 2.0.
(Cartoon: Christopher Weyant, caglecartoons.com)
