MAGA controls many county and state election boards. They are quite simply outlaws. I have listened closely to Marc Elias, who wields the tip of the pro democracy spear, and a guy named Bookbinder, who is on the same page.
Bookbinder has researched every stste’s laws to demonstrate that certification in 49 states is a ministerial act. The election boards have a job to do, away to do the job, and they gotta do it. If they don’t, Bookbinde’s group wants them to know in advance, they will be subject to criminal or civil liability.
Elias has suggested that any of us can attend election board meetings, ask questions, make statements. We can be paid or unpaid poll watchers. As we get closer, there will be clear organization of this. I know in 2008 I went to Ohio for the last 10 days for legal work (Cam Kerry, John’s brother, was our supervisor; quite a guy, and my Election Day experience was nuts). I’m sure it will be bigger this time.
The Repubs have been putting this plan together for at least two years, probably more. As you say, it is become Plan A. I do think it’s what Trump means when he says we don’t need your vote. I was thinking of writing, we’ll see if there are enough Repubs left loyal to the Constitution, but I’ve seen the House the last 19 months and issue polls the last 3 years. There are not. Deep sigh. We gotta be smarter and, this time, tougher.
Echoing Crosby, the Rs and their lawyers have been plotting, but our lawyers (Elias and team) have been counter-plotting from Day One. Plus, one by one, Trump's lawyers have been sanctioned, fined, humiliated and disbarred. That trend accelerates. Trump will end up with a handful of lawyers willing to trade a few pennies in hand now vs. disbarment tomorrow. Not an effective tactic or strategy.
I would have assumed that's the case but I heard some liberal feds saying there were routes to take a deadlocked certification to the Supremes and then to the House. I am going to forget I heard that for the moment,
I miss decent electoral politics. I was precincts committeeman for 12 years. In a then-Republican county. So we were rarely in charge. The Repubs were pleasant but uptight rulefollowers, so it tools us two hours to count all the mail-in ballots on top of machine tallies. Plus they provided crappy food.
But we won in 74 (!) so controlled our polling place in 75 and 76 I was off politicking mostly so my cousin ran the election. No rulefollowers we. When the paper ballots came in, we counted them. The Repubs whined it was against the rules. We asked how much they loved staying that extra hour. They got to like it and became part of our routine. My only job was food, and I provided a damn 3 meal feast from the local gourmet grocery. We ended up feeding voters.
My point is that they were committed conservative Repubs. We were certainly committed Dems. But we were absolutely committed to a fair election. And overall both parties were, though there was some voter intimidation at the fringes, and possibly some voter fraud ( there were a couple Dem ward chairman who might have done anything. And I recall running into state rep Skinny Alexander loading up on half pints of Calvert the night before the election. But good clean fun, y’know?
MAGA controls many county and state election boards. They are quite simply outlaws. I have listened closely to Marc Elias, who wields the tip of the pro democracy spear, and a guy named Bookbinder, who is on the same page.
Bookbinder has researched every stste’s laws to demonstrate that certification in 49 states is a ministerial act. The election boards have a job to do, away to do the job, and they gotta do it. If they don’t, Bookbinde’s group wants them to know in advance, they will be subject to criminal or civil liability.
Elias has suggested that any of us can attend election board meetings, ask questions, make statements. We can be paid or unpaid poll watchers. As we get closer, there will be clear organization of this. I know in 2008 I went to Ohio for the last 10 days for legal work (Cam Kerry, John’s brother, was our supervisor; quite a guy, and my Election Day experience was nuts). I’m sure it will be bigger this time.
The Repubs have been putting this plan together for at least two years, probably more. As you say, it is become Plan A. I do think it’s what Trump means when he says we don’t need your vote. I was thinking of writing, we’ll see if there are enough Repubs left loyal to the Constitution, but I’ve seen the House the last 19 months and issue polls the last 3 years. There are not. Deep sigh. We gotta be smarter and, this time, tougher.
Yep. On target. How to organize this??
Echoing Crosby, the Rs and their lawyers have been plotting, but our lawyers (Elias and team) have been counter-plotting from Day One. Plus, one by one, Trump's lawyers have been sanctioned, fined, humiliated and disbarred. That trend accelerates. Trump will end up with a handful of lawyers willing to trade a few pennies in hand now vs. disbarment tomorrow. Not an effective tactic or strategy.
I would have assumed that's the case but I heard some liberal feds saying there were routes to take a deadlocked certification to the Supremes and then to the House. I am going to forget I heard that for the moment,
That is indeed a possibility.
I miss decent electoral politics. I was precincts committeeman for 12 years. In a then-Republican county. So we were rarely in charge. The Repubs were pleasant but uptight rulefollowers, so it tools us two hours to count all the mail-in ballots on top of machine tallies. Plus they provided crappy food.
But we won in 74 (!) so controlled our polling place in 75 and 76 I was off politicking mostly so my cousin ran the election. No rulefollowers we. When the paper ballots came in, we counted them. The Repubs whined it was against the rules. We asked how much they loved staying that extra hour. They got to like it and became part of our routine. My only job was food, and I provided a damn 3 meal feast from the local gourmet grocery. We ended up feeding voters.
My point is that they were committed conservative Repubs. We were certainly committed Dems. But we were absolutely committed to a fair election. And overall both parties were, though there was some voter intimidation at the fringes, and possibly some voter fraud ( there were a couple Dem ward chairman who might have done anything. And I recall running into state rep Skinny Alexander loading up on half pints of Calvert the night before the election. But good clean fun, y’know?