Open Battle to Undermine Election Integrity (2020 – present)
The COVID-19 pandemic threw primary elections and the general election into turmoil in 2020 as states tried to balance the risk of spreading the virus at polling centers with the desire to make sure voters were able to have their say in the democratic process. As many states turned to an expansion of absentee balloting, enabling more people to vote by mail, President Trump publicly admitted to the fear that if mail-in voting increased, “you’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.”
In the months leading up to and following the November general election, Trump and other Republican leaders repeated unsubstantiated accusations of voter fraud and rigged elections. Dozens of lawsuits filed by the Trump team after the election were denied by the courts in multiple states. Yet the false claims of an illegitimate election victory by Joe Biden persist well into Biden’s presidency. Even a failed insurrection on January 6, 2021 – an effort to stop Congress from certifying the election results – was not enough to put an end to the lie. In fact, Kevin McCarthy, Republican leader in the House of Representatives, still voted against certification hours after the perpetrators were removed and disbursed. Weeks later, he refused to support calls for a second impeachment of the president and an independent investigation of the violent mob. And in April, he tried to walk back his own statements about Trump’s responsibility for the attack on the Capitol.
Support by Republican leaders for the attack and perpetuation of the lie of a stolen election is a reflection of both how far the Party has come from its conservative roots and an existential threat to the American experiment in democracy. Opposition to what some have called a “slow coup” has so far been scattered and unproductive as the calendar turns to 2022 and the midterm elections.
In this section, our timeline entries consist of recent progress updates detailing the current struggles to protect not just voting rights for all, but the integrity of our electoral process.
Georgia’s New Voting Law: Mostly A Step Backward
Competing partisan-driven narratives are causing broad confusion over a new voting law in Georgia that poses legitimate threats to the integrity of the electoral process.
Kentucky Expands Voting Rights, Bucks Political Polarization
Kentucky has defied a divisive political narrative on election reform and voting rights by bringing Republicans and Democrats together to make voting a little easier for state voters.
Voting Rights Battle: Partisan Conflict or Attack on Democracy?
The battle being waged over voting rights in state legislatures and the US Congress has been too easily mischaracterized as a partisan fight. Texas Democrats walked out to avoid a floor vote and bring attention to a state-by-state attack on our democracy.
Election Security, Voter Suppression & Voter ID: Behind the Debate
The voter ID debate pits election security concerns against worries about suppressing voter access. It is a false choice and a distraction from more dangerous threats to election integrity.
Mainers Again Flex Their Independence to Protect Their Vote
A ballot initiative to ban foreign money from influencing state elections and support an amendment to the US Constitution to regulate campaign spending reflects Maine’s continuing role as a laboratory for voting reforms aimed at strengthening the power and voice of local citizens.
Can the Army of Anti-Democracy Republicans Be Stopped?
A record number of opponents of fair elections are being recruited to run for office, administer elections, and mount election challenges. At this point, the quest to prevent Republican victory at the polls has ceased being a partisan mission and become instead a constitutional imperative.
No Central Command in Battle Against Anti-Democracy Candidates
Hundreds of election deniers are running for office. With the integrity of our elections once again at stake in November, efforts to thwart the forces that would destroy what's left of our democratic foundation are hampered by the lack of a clear, coordinated battle plan.
Threat to Democracy Coming Into Focus
More Americans are recognizing that their choice at the ballot box this fall is between continuing as a country governed by a democratically chosen majority and giving away that right to a party dominated by people who no longer respect election results or our democratic institutions.
Citizen Lobbyists Push for Constitutional Amendment to Limit Campaign Financing
Brought together by American Promise, about 50 citizens met with more than 50 Democratic and Republican members of Congress to lay the groundwork for passage of a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress and the states to limit corporate campaign contributions.
Abortion Access is Frontline in Church-State Struggle
Intentionally or not, the opposition to abortion rights has generated an attack on the First Amendment principle of separation of church and state. And their victory in Dobbs has further emboldened anti-democracy forces that would make this a Christian nation.
Ballot Initiatives Attacked in Attempt to Restrict Direct Democracy
Arizona and Arkansas join the ranks of states attempting to limit citizen use of the ballot initiative – another line of attack on citizen-led democracy in this November's election.
What Did the People Decide? Ballot Initiatives in the 2022 Midterms
In the 2022 midterms, Americans in states across the country made their voices heard on issues through citizen-led ballot measures — and the results were often in opposition to the desires of state legislatures.
Building a More Perfect Union in 2023
2022 ended with sighs of relief and celebrations that the red wave didn’t happen, that voters rejected efforts to codify strict anti-abortion laws, that the budget deficit was cut in half, and that there was some bipartisan support for climate change action and improved access to healthcare. All good, but there is still work to be done.
Bipartisan Hope Isn’t Helping Divided Congress Avoid Debt Crisis
Our Congress has two faces: We saw the authoritarian one during the rancorous vote for House Speaker, while the other is seen in an op-ed that lauds the bipartisan collaboration that produced over 200 recommendations for making Congress work more efficiently. As we brace for another game of chicken over the debt ceiling, it’s clear which face is doing the talking.
Protecting Voting Rights and Our Elections
Despite significant losses for election deniers in last November’s midterm elections, many anti-democracy candidates won key administrative and legislative seats up and down the ballot, and attacks on voting rights and the integrity of our elections continue.
Election-Related Decisions Indicate Courts Still Favor Democracy
Despite efforts to alter the legal landscape, recent judicial decisions indicate our courts remain a bulwark against incursions by those who would subvert our democratic institutions.
Further Fracturing in the GOP
Is it possible for a political party to get stronger even as it fractures? That’s the question hanging over American politics as the Republican Party has increasingly divided itself into pro-Trumpists, never-Trumpists, and politically-convenient Trumpists. Here’s a rundown of some notable developments.
Forging a Way Forward
As we emerge from the fog of knowing that half of our countrymen chose a liar, convicted felon, insurrectionist, and ally to foreign dictators to run the government, it’s natural to ask the question: How did this happen? Actionable answers are vital to forging a way forward.
Signs of the Time: Americans are Rallying Against Trump
Millions of Americans attended rallies on Saturday in over 1,400 locations across the country to protest for the country and against Donald Trump and the actions he has initiated since returning to the White House.
