Remember the Gore-Bush presidential race and all of the hanging chads in Florida? Okay, that was back in 2000 so for some of you, that may be before your time. On election night, the networks first called Florida for Al Gore — you know, the inventor of the internet and the man who discovered global warming. Then, they called the state for Bush. Gore conceded. Then he thought it over and decided he was still in. That resulted in accusations of voter fraud, suppression, and miscounts. At one point Florida ballots were examined to make sure that the chads, or the little pieces of paper that were produced when someone punched a ballot, were actually punched. Ballots were even scrutinized to see if someone had tried to vote for Gore, but had not pushed the chad all the way through, resulting in a “dimpled chad” or a “hanging chad.” The whole imbroglio finally went before the Supreme Court, with Bush getting the win by virtue of winning the Electoral College.
More recently, after the 2016 election, celebrities took to the airwaves to protest the results and there were the usual calls for the abolition of the Electoral College. Calls that would not have come had Hillary Clinton been elected. And if you are even a semi-regular reader of PJ Media or any other news outlet, you are aware of the issue involving Kari Lake and Katie Hobbs. The upshot of all of this is to point out that when elections go the Left’s way, they are free, fair, and the Vox Populi. Conversely, when a Republican wins, there is obviously some sort of skullduggery afoot.
Why are we even having elections anymore? It is crystal clear that those in control of the government will do anything and everything possible to ensure that future elections yield all of the right results. We should just save ourselves the time and go full banana republic. All elections will last five minutes and a Democrat will then be deemed to be the rightful winner.
If you are harboring thoughts of becoming a poll watcher during the next election, be advised that you may be viewed as a potential violent threat. Just the News reports that a group known as The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections (CSSE) is one of a number of organizations trying to stoke fears of violence against election workers. This, of course, could have the effect of freezing out poll watchers and election observers who have legitimate concerns about election integrity, or who are simply exercising their right to be there. The CSSE home page states:
The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections features cross-partisan experts in election administration and law enforcement who aim to support policies and practices that protect election workers and voters from violence, threats, and intimidation. The Committee also works to build relationships and trust between election officials and law enforcement to better equip both to prevent and respond to threats and violence against voters and election workers.
To drive the point home and spike anxiety, the CSSE has created a training video for law enforcement called “What Election Violence Could Look Like.”
The site also has a video to help poll workers recognize potential threats and de-escalate them. Why not watch to see if you might constitute a threat? It’s fun for the whole family!
So just so we’re clear, this isn’t election intimidation?
Or is it that some types of intimidation are permissible so long as they are for the greater good or achieve the desired ends?
Related: CONFIRMED: The FBI Has Spies in Catholic Churches to Hunt for ‘Domestic Terrorism’
Just the News notes that the CSSE is made up of former election and government officials and members of law enforcement, and enjoys the support of the Brennan Center for Justice, R Street Institute, Protect Democracy, and The Elections Group. The article also highlights Democrat Amy Klobuchar’s efforts to create the Election Worker Protection Act of 2022 which would have required the FBI to station field agents at polling places to investigate threats against election officials. The bill never made it out of committee, but the intention was clear — to intimidate the right people to achieve the right results.
If you smell a rat, you are not the only one. Just the News spoke with Ned Jones, who is the deputy director of the Election Integrity Network. Jones said, “From Jan. 6th on, there has been this narrative about intimidation and harassment, employing characteristic terms such as ‘election deniers, the Big Lie, and domestic terrorists.'” He cited the 2021 Virginia elections during which:
…there were many poll observers and workers who were law-abiding and trained not to engage in confrontation, which was important as the Justice Department established its Election Threats Task Force in June 2021 and was “looking for trouble from election workers.” The Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force reported last August that it received over 1,000 reports of threats to election officials after its establishment in June 2021 but found that only about 11% “met the threshold for a federal criminal investigation” and charged just five people.
On a more serious note, Jones said that the mere act of filing a FOIA request over an election can now be defined as harassment. So, question an election? Want to be a poll watcher? Better call your lawyer first.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member