{"id":23399,"date":"2022-08-30T12:28:38","date_gmt":"2022-08-30T19:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=23399"},"modified":"2022-08-30T12:28:40","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T19:28:40","slug":"the-us-could-lose-the-right-to-vote-top-officials-democracy-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2022\/08\/30\/the-us-could-lose-the-right-to-vote-top-officials-democracy-warning\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The US could lose the right to vote\u2019: top official\u2019s democracy warning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Lauren Gambino<\/a> in Washington<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jena
The Colorado secretary of state, Jena Griswold: \u2018We are trying to save democracy.\u2019\u00a0Photograph: David Zalubowski\/AP<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jena Griswold urges Americans to pay attention to crucial but often overlooked races for secretary of state<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lauren<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

@laurenegambino<\/a> Mon 29 Aug 2022 23.23 BST (TheGuardian.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colorado\u2019s secretary of state, Jena Griswold, is warning anyone who will listen that the fate of free and fair elections in the United States hangs in the balance in this November\u2019s midterm contests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In many of the most competitive races for offices with authority over US elections, Republicans<\/a> nominated candidates who have embraced or echoed Donald Trump\u2019s myth of a stolen election in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"People<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Griswold, who chairs the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State (Dass) and is running for re-election, is urging Americans to pay attention to the once-sleepy down-ballot contests for secretary of state \u2013 lest they lose their democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we can expect from the extreme Republicans running across this country is to undermine free and fair elections for the American people, strip Americans of the right to vote, refuse to address security breaches and, unfortunately, be more beholden to Mar-a-Lago than the American people,\u201d Griswold, 37, said in an interview with the Guardian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added: \u201cFor us, we are trying to save democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a daunting task, especially in a political environment that has historically favored the party out of power in Washington. But the primary results so far have laid bare the stakes, she said: \u201cThe country could lose the right to vote and we could lose \u2026 more of our fundamental freedoms in less than three months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having failed to overturn the 2020 vote, Trump and his loyalists are now strategically targeting positions<\/a> that will play a critical role in supervising the next presidential election, turning many of the 27 secretary of state contests<\/a> this year into expensive, partisan showdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If these Trump-backed candidates are elected, Griswold fears that they would <\/strong>weaponize their posts, either by sowing doubts about the results of an election their party loses \u2013 or by trying to subvert it outright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jena
Jena Griswold poses for a photo as she attends the summer conference of the National Association of Secretaries of State in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, last month. Photograph: Matthew Hinton\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Arizona, Mark Finchem, a prominent election denier<\/a> who said he would not have certified Joe Biden\u2019s victory in the state, is now the Republican nominee for secretary of state in Arizona. In Michigan, Kristina Karamo, who baselessly claimed to have witnessed voter fraud<\/a> as an election observer in 2020, is the Republican party\u2019s choice<\/a> to be the state\u2019s chief election official. And in Pennsylvania, where the governor appoints the secretary of state, the Republican gubernatorial nominee is Doug Mastriano, a far-right lawmaker<\/a> who led the brazen attempt to reverse Biden\u2019s victory in his state and chartered buses to the rally that preceded the Capitol riot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November, Griswold will face Pam Anderson, a Republican former county clerk who prevailed in her party\u2019s primary over an election conspiracy theorist <\/a><\/strong>indicted for tampering with election equipment<\/a>. Anderson is running on a pledge <\/a>to keep politics out of elections administration and analysts anticipate a competitive<\/a> race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stakes are really high, but people understand what\u2019s at stake and that\u2019s why you\u2019re seeing this level of enthusiasm<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Campaigning across Colorado, Griswold said she sees signs that voters are attuned to the real risks posed by candidates with contempt for the democratic process. On several occasions recently she said voters have broken down in tears over the right to vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe stakes are really high but I also think people understand what\u2019s at stake and that\u2019s why you\u2019re seeing this level of enthusiasm,\u201d Griswold said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Underscoring the point, she emphasized the association\u2019s growth. Before 2021, Dass had no full-time employees. It now has eight. And the group has already surpassed its fundraising goal for the cycle<\/a>, amassing $16m so far \u2013 more than 10 times<\/a> what it raised in the 2018 cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a huge amount of enthusiasm from Democratic donors and the grassroots,\u201d she added. \u201cBut, I will say, the Republicans are also seeing a lot of enthusiasm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jena
Jena Griswold speaks about the state\u2019s efforts to protect the process of casting a vote in October 2020, in downtown Denver. Photograph: David Zalubowski\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not long ago, secretaries of state operated in relative obscurity, toiling behind the scenes to complete all manner of bureaucratic duties. Chief among them in most \u2013 but not all \u2013 states was to ensure the smooth and safe administration of American elections. Many viewed the role as ministerial in nature, far removed from the partisan battles confronting other statewide offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That changed in the tumultuous aftermath of the 2020 election. In his brazen attempt to seize a second term, Trump turned his attention to the guardians of state elections: secretaries of state, county clerks, election board members and other officials in battleground states. Falsely claiming the results had been tainted by fraud, he pressured them to reverse his defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The elections officials who stepped forward to resist the defeated president\u2019s fantastical claims and defend the integrity of their elections quickly became the targets of harassment, intimidation and violent threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griswold was among the most prominent voices challenging Trump over his attacks on vote by mail, a fixture of Colorado elections. The confrontations made her a lightning rod on the Maga (Make America Great Again) right. Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, once, incredibly, accused <\/a>her of murder, an outlandish claim he said was only an \u201canalogy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is really hard to do your job when someone\u2019s telling you over and over how they\u2019re going to hang you<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The effect is a near-daily torrent of threats, many violent and eerily \u201cdescriptive\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt gets to the point where it is really hard to do your job when someone\u2019s telling you over and over how they\u2019re going to hang you,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Threats of violence are an escalating problem across the spectrum of public life in America: from the White House down to local school boards. It is even worse for women and people of color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2020, local election officials, the vast majority <\/a>of whom are women, say political attacks<\/a>, safety concerns and misinformation are driving them from public service at all levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griswold, who in 2018 became the youngest secretary of state in the country, worries about the \u201cdampening effect\u201d the toxic stream of abuse has on women in politics. In December, she spoke to a woman who wanted to run for the Colorado state legislature, but told her: \u201cI have a six-year-old son. I see the threats against you and I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For that reason, Griswold said she pushed for more security for her office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe threshold for us to get violent threats is much lower, so we experience things that a lot of people would never expect in this country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She continued: \u201cThe federal government needs to take this seriously. States need to take this seriously. And that\u2019s one of the reasons why we need more women elected \u2013 to understand that it\u2019s not hysteria to say, \u2018I should have security because someone is telling me repeatedly that they\u2019re going to come kill me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tina
Tina Peters, a far-right county clerk in Colorado, has been indicted on charges that she directed a breach of voting machines. Photograph: Thomas Peipert\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Despite Griswold\u2019s efforts, Trump\u2019s lies have gained purchase among conservative voters in her state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a county that works behind bulletproof glass,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a county clerk who wears a bullet-proof vest. Much of their days are spent responding to conspiracy-fueled lawsuits and information requests intended to \u2018gum up\u2019 the system and bog down her office,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And earlier this year, Tina Peters, a far-right county clerk in Colorado, was indicted on charges <\/a>that she directed a breach of voting machines. The episode spurred Griswold to raise the alarm about \u201cinsider threats<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Colorado\u2019s June primary, Republican voters rejected Peters\u2019 bid to be the state\u2019s next secretary of state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite losing by nearly 15 percentage points<\/a>, Peters claimed \u201cfraud\u201d had cost her the nomination and demanded<\/a> a recount. The review, which Griswold called meritless and \u201cbased on conspiracies\u201d, confirmed<\/a> Peters\u2019 loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We must reject that it is partisan to protect the right to vote. It\u2019s not<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Republicans have accused Griswold of too often blurring the line<\/a> between defending democracy and defending her seat. It\u2019s a charge many elections officials are now grappling with: when they defend elections and push for reforms, they are often accused of partisanship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must reject that it is partisan to protect the right to vote. It\u2019s not,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s the most American and democratic thing you can do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for her own election, Griswold said her record speaks for itself. Since the 2020 election, she has helped expand voting access and strengthen election security. Her office backed a slate of reforms that gives the Colorado secretary of state\u2019s office the power to certify elections if local officials refuse to do so, guarding against a scenario that played out earlier this summer in New Mexico, when Republican officials refused to certify an election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An
An election rally in Colorado on 5 April at the state capitol in downtown Denver. Photograph: David Zalubowski\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The law also includes new protections against insider threats, making it a felony to compromise voting equipment or allow unauthorized access to the state\u2019s voting systems, and stiffens the penalties for threatening election workers or \u201cdoxxing them\u201d by publishing their personal information online. Another law<\/a> passed earlier this year prohibits open-carry within 100 feet of a polling place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four years ago, when Griswold first ran for the post, she never imagined the kind of challengers her office would face, among them \u201censuring that democracy survived a pandemic and also a president of the United States trying to steal an election\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for many secretaries of state, Griswold said the experience had only \u201cfurther resolved our determination to not let people willing to destroy the country to win\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, Griswold said she is running with her eyes wide open to the peril facing American elections \u2013 and democracy \u2013 far beyond 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fight to try to take Americans\u2019 freedoms, it won\u2019t be over after the election \u2013 it won\u2019t,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is a long-term fight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note: This story was updated on 29 August to restore a full quote where ellipses had been cut in the editing process.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lauren Gambino in Washington Jena Griswold urges Americans to pay attention to crucial but often overlooked races for secretary of state @laurenegambino Mon 29 Aug 2022 23.23 BST (TheGuardian.com) Colorado\u2019s secretary of state, Jena Griswold, is warning anyone who will listen that the fate of free and fair elections in the… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23399"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23399"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23400,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23399\/revisions\/23400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}