Op-Ed: If Democrats Can Win Elections Fair and Square, They Should Have No Problem with GOP's Plans
With the 2022 midterm elections fast approaching, voter fraud may not be far behind. And Republicans have taken action to protect election integrity.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans recently passed far-reaching election reforms, creating a law enforcement agency to tackle voter fraud.
In Georgia, lawmakers passed bills requiring photo identification in order to vote. Additionally, law enforcement officers now have more bandwidth to investigate allegations of election-related crimes.
Texas Republicans, meanwhile, passed legislation banning unsolicited mail-in ballot applications and requiring government ID for all absentee voters. As in Florida, Texas has deployed an election integrity unit to crack down on illegal voting.
Then there’s Wisconsin, where Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed all Republican-passed election reform bills. Thankfully, in Fond du Lac County, District Attorney Eric Toney levied felony voter fraud charges against five voters whose registrations listed their home addresses at a UPS store — a clear violation of Wisconsin state law.
In total, 35 states have passed some form of photo ID legislation for voting. This is good news. It is common sense, and it shouldn’t be a partisan issue at all. Election integrity is good; voter fraud is bad. In order for Americans to trust our democracy, we need to trust that elected officials are willing to punish wrongdoers and prevent those who would cheat the system from swaying elections.
In truth, both Democrats and Republicans should believe in election integrity. But it has shamefully become a partisan issue, with the Republican Party clearly caring more about voter fraud in light of the 2020 election. All Republicans should take action to combat it, especially where they have clear majorities to protect against irregular voting practices.
Democrats often retort that voter fraud is rare and irrelevant. The left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice, for example, regularly refers to the “myth of voter fraud.”
But you can’t take the left’s claims at face value. In recent years, The Heritage Foundation has found more than 1,300 proven instances of voter fraud, resulting in nearly 1,200 criminal convictions. In hundreds of cases, Americans illegally registered dead people and copied names out of the phone book to vote. In some instances, illegal immigrants and felons were documented voting. Is that rare or irrelevant?
More recently and even more deplorably, the election integrity group True the Vote says it used cell phone geo-tracking and surveillance video to identify thousands of individuals who collected ballots and stuffed them in drop boxes. The group’s research was the basis for a new documentary by Dinesh D’Souza titled “2,000 Mules,” which premieres nationally in theaters this month. True the Vote’s findings, though circumstantial, nonetheless argue that enough illegal ballots were delivered in key swing states to potentially flip the 2020 presidential election.
If Democrats can win fair or square, they should have no problem with Republican efforts to preserve election integrity and crack down on illegal voting. Fair elections would reaffirm trust in the electoral process while benefiting neither political party.
Protecting election integrity does not prevent people from voting. Any and all American citizens who wish to vote legally should be able to do so, and Republicans believe that. Democrats claiming otherwise are just expert gaslighters.
Unfortunately, Democrats have been all too willing to experiment with the electoral process for political gain. Across America, non-citizens are gradually gaining voting rights. This year, more than 800,000 non-citizens in New York City were granted the right to vote in municipal elections. Think about that: Hundreds of thousands of people who are not American citizens can now vote in New York — because of New York Democrats.
Perhaps there is a reason the Biden administration so shamelessly promotes dangerous and criminal open border policies. Democrats know they can’t win future elections without importing new Democratic voters.
What’s to stop Democrats from promoting illegal voting nationwide? As President Joe Biden and other Democrats appease the most radical wing of their party, they will use every advantage to win future elections — from welcoming illegal immigrants to registering them as American voters.
If the left is going to refuse to acknowledge voter fraud, Republicans should do everything in their power to uphold the rights of American citizens — emphasis on “American” and emphasis on “citizen.”
What used to be common sense may be considered partisan now, but Republicans are still on the right side of history.
In 2022, election integrity matters more than ever before. Let’s protect it from the crazies.
UPDATE, May 4, 2022: Politifact published an article citing several academics and reported experts who dispute some of the claims made by True the Vote and “2,000 Mules.” Readers interested in this additional information can find that article here.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
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