Votes cast from the grave. Manipulation of the elderly. Zuckerberg payola. Burning drop boxes. Missing ballots. Double-voting. Election administrators arrested for fraud. And a full week of ballot counting.
Despite all of this, Stacey Abrams assures us that the only election fraud we need to worry about is that which cheated her out of her bid for Georgia Governor in 2018. It's hypocrisy at its finest and, sadly, what we have come to expect from the Left.
In response to the numerous clear cases of fraud, states across the country have taken action to pass their own election integrity reforms. Measures like drop box security, banning private funding of election administrative offices, removing the dearly departed from voter rolls, and providing free IDs to voters are the commonsense steps leaders in the states are taking towards restoring trust in local elections and those who are subsequently elected.
Ms. Abrams and D.C. liberals can continue in their efforts to mislead voters on the truth about election fraud, or they can join the rest of America in acknowledging that there were—and are—very real problems. If left unaddressed, compromised elections pose a threat to Americans’ trust in government and the very foundation of our fragile republic.
This isn’t about the outcomes—this is about the future of our democratic process.
To Stacey Abrams, new voter protection laws are merely a thinly veiled assault on voting rights. Ms. Abrams is throwing her self-perceived political clout behind S.1, the For the People Act—a measure intended to usurp the Constitution and strip away states' ability to manage their own elections.
Every single page of this legislation is a disaster, but among its most egregious provisions is the sweeping elimination of all voter ID laws. Anyone will be allowed to obtain a ballot with a verbal statement of eligibility, and without having to show any proof who they really are.
It also mandates states implement same-day voter registration, leaving poll-workers no time to verify the identity or eligibility. Not that that matters, because S.1 also makes it a criminal offense to question a voter’s eligibility—even for legal reasons—on or before Election Day.
And S.1 will compromise registration processes by automatically registering ineligible voters, including teenagers under the age of 18. Automatic voter registration means people no longer have the choice to consent to being registered and, furthermore, it infringes on their privacy. It also removes penalties for non-citizens who register to vote and restricts states’ ability to cross-check and update their voter rolls. Couple this with the aforementioned criminalization of questioning eligibility and no voter ID, and S.1 will open Pandora's box of election fraud.
It’s dangerous, and it’s out of touch with what most Americans want. Polling by the Opportunity Solutions Project found that a bipartisan majority of American voters do not want the states to lose control over their own election policies and processes. Voters were 70 percent less likely to support the For the People Act when they found out it could mean every state was forced to implement same-day registration. They were 74 percent less likely to support it when they learned it could result in 16-year-olds voting in elections. And, despite continued claims from the Left that voter ID is somehow inherently racist, polling from the Foundation for Government Accountability reveals there is bipartisan support for it among Black voters.
And further polling by the Foundation for Government Accountability echoes the preference for state-level control. A majority of Americans prefer their state legislature have oversight of ballots and election processes to prevent tampering and to protect minority communities.
It’s no surprise Stacey Abrams would support a federal takeover of elections. Her political party stands to benefit the most from adding a string of loopholes to election law. But what she is really saying in her battle cries is that if you can’t win in the battle of ideas, use the federal government to steamroll the opposition so your party rules in perpetuity.
The secured-elections states are striving to benefit everyone and ensure that the voices of voters of all ages, races, and backgrounds are heard. Accurate voting rolls, polling security, and ballot protection don't just help ensure every vote is counted—but that every vote counts.
Ms. Abrams can text as many people on her dated donor lists as she wants, but her ‘Hot Call Summer’ won’t change the truth: The only way to protect every American’s fundamental right to vote is to do everything in our power to restore trust in our elections and prevent bad actors—and bad politicians—from manipulating the process for their own gain. To do that, S.1 must fail.
Stefani E. Buhajla is the communications director at the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) and the polling director for Opportunity Solutions Project (OSP).
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