The outgoing US President Donald Trump’s false allegations of widespread cheating in last year’s election have sparked a fierce battle for electoral law in several states. The result could be laws that make it harder for groups that most often vote for Democrats to vote.
Since Joe Biden took over the presidency, Trump has maintained his claims that the Democrats won the election through extensive cheating. These allegations were never documented and categorically rejected both by his own Ministry of Justice and through dozens of lawsuits. Still is now the question of US election laws has become a hot topic in the states of the country.
Republican state politicians are trying in a number of so-called tipping states, such as Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin and Michigan, to get through new laws that will largely place restrictions on voting. It is believed that the restrictive new rules could improve the Republicans’ chances of winning elections in states where there is a close race between the parties.
A group formed to support former President Donald Trump is now working with Republicans in the important state of Wisconsin to change electoral law.
–More changes
Republicans argue that legislative changes are needed to increase security and reduce the risk of electoral fraud.
The Democrats, for their part, believe that the changes will be undemocratic, partly because they will lead to weakened minority representation. They fear that the result will be that those who already have power will be favored.
At least 18 states have already introduced a total of 30 restrictive election laws, while several dozen others are under consideration, according to figures from the think tank Brennan Center for Justice earlier this fall.
In September, for example, the Texas state legislature approved a new election law that included a number of restrictions over the past.
The time you can vote on Sundays is cut, and biased election observers are given more power. In addition, several ways in which it has previously been possible to vote are removed. 24-hour polling stations with drive-in are among those being removed.
In addition, election officials are refused to promote voting by mail. It becomes more difficult for voters who need help, for example with translations.
Vippestat
The conflict has now reached the important swing state of Wisconsin, where Trump’s support organization has thrown itself into the fight.
The Center for Election Integrity is part of the America First Policy Institute – an organization formed by the Trump administration to advance his policies.
The Center for Election Integrity is now working with Republicans in Wisconsin to change the election law there, an election law the Republicans themselves put in place several years ago.
The problem is that they must be able to bypass the Democratic governor Tony Evers.
Trump’s former White House spokesman, Hogan Gidley, recently stated in a private meeting that the Center for Election Integrity is now working with elected officials and business leaders in Wisconsin “to find the best way” around Evers. The Democratic governor has said he will block Republicans’ attempts to change the rules.
One of the participants in the private event recorded the statements and gave the recording to the news agency AP.
–Will bypass the governor
The strategy is similar to a process that is also underway in Michigan. Republicans in the state are in the process of collecting signatures for support to tighten the laws governing voting.
Here, too, they are trying to bypass the Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, who the ned bet against a Republican bill on Oct. 29.
Gidley’s statements thus show that the process is also underway in Wisconsin. The AP has tried to get a comment from him, but after first saying that he would tell more about his work in the state, he has not responded to repeated inquiries.
The leader of the Conservative group Common Sense Wisconsin, Bill McCoshen, has said that he met with Gidley six weeks ago to discuss how they could get an election proposal on the ballot paper.
McCoshen’s proposal means that the election be held in the same way throughout Wisconsin; election times and days must, among other things, be the same everywhere.
Critics say such a system would limit the opportunities for many groups to vote.
–Will limit donations
The proposal also aims to prevent private groups from making large donations to the state’s cities, which are dominated by Democrats.
Wisconsin Republicans have also been annoyed that most of the electoral support given last year went to the state’s five largest cities, all of which are Democratic strongholds. Among others Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated large sums to help fund polling stations that struggled to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Republicans believe the money benefited Democrats during the election.
Now they want such donations to be shared equally between all.
Trump lost the Wisconsin election by about 20,000 fewer votes than Joe Biden – Biden received just over 1,630,000 votes, while Trump received 1,610,000. Afterwards, Trump’s election campaign apparatus went to court, they wanted to reject over 220,000 advance votes in the state’s two most democratic counties.
They did not arrive.
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