Protesters rally to demand protection for voting rights on the 58th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in Washington, D.C, on August 28, 2021. (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds//AFP via Getty Images)
The Very Best Response to GOP Election Denial? Vote.
Voting is the best answer to voter intimidation, election disruption, and sabotage.
There's only one message this morning: get out and vote.
This is the first election in American history in which political leaders are pushing conspiracy theories and lies about democracy itself.
Here's the good news: more than half of all Americans who will vote in this midterm election have already cast their ballot. Overwhelmingly, they have done so without incident. It has been calm and safe, just like any other year. There are a handful of exceptions--the armed men stalking some drop boxes in Arizona, blocked by a federal court, was the most visible example. But as that ruling reinforced, it is illegal to harass voters or election workers. Law enforcement this year has finally begun to step up to ensure safety.
But even though voters so far are experiencing a calm and normal election process, we all know it is anything but normal.
This is the first election in American history in which political leaders are pushing conspiracy theories and lies about democracy itself. It's no coincidence that the harassment occurred in Arizona, where prominent election deniers are running for senator, governor, and secretary of state. Michigan is having similar problems. Election deniers are on the ballot for governor and attorney general, while a group is signing up vigilante volunteers to install hidden cameras at ballot drop boxes and carry weapons in anticipation of trouble. There is a straight line between election denial and voter intimidation.
If you experience any form of voter intimidation, you should alert poll workers, local election officials, and the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE. If you are a poll worker and you experience threats or intimidation, call law enforcement. Police departments across the country are coordinating with election officials to ensure that the 2022 election is safe.
And while the voting process so far has been secure, we know that after the voting is over, the process of counting and certifying results may be the subject of conspiracy theories, violent threats, and fake news, as it was in 2020. If these election deniers lose fair and square, will they ever accept the results? That would itself be a challenge to the norms of our democracy.
Our elections are secure. They are trustworthy. And our polling places are safe. Millions of people have already cast their ballots. I urge you to join them. If you haven't already, please vote.
FINAL DAY! This is urgent.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just hours left in our Spring Campaign, we're still falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
There's only one message this morning: get out and vote.
This is the first election in American history in which political leaders are pushing conspiracy theories and lies about democracy itself.
Here's the good news: more than half of all Americans who will vote in this midterm election have already cast their ballot. Overwhelmingly, they have done so without incident. It has been calm and safe, just like any other year. There are a handful of exceptions--the armed men stalking some drop boxes in Arizona, blocked by a federal court, was the most visible example. But as that ruling reinforced, it is illegal to harass voters or election workers. Law enforcement this year has finally begun to step up to ensure safety.
But even though voters so far are experiencing a calm and normal election process, we all know it is anything but normal.
This is the first election in American history in which political leaders are pushing conspiracy theories and lies about democracy itself. It's no coincidence that the harassment occurred in Arizona, where prominent election deniers are running for senator, governor, and secretary of state. Michigan is having similar problems. Election deniers are on the ballot for governor and attorney general, while a group is signing up vigilante volunteers to install hidden cameras at ballot drop boxes and carry weapons in anticipation of trouble. There is a straight line between election denial and voter intimidation.
If you experience any form of voter intimidation, you should alert poll workers, local election officials, and the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE. If you are a poll worker and you experience threats or intimidation, call law enforcement. Police departments across the country are coordinating with election officials to ensure that the 2022 election is safe.
And while the voting process so far has been secure, we know that after the voting is over, the process of counting and certifying results may be the subject of conspiracy theories, violent threats, and fake news, as it was in 2020. If these election deniers lose fair and square, will they ever accept the results? That would itself be a challenge to the norms of our democracy.
Our elections are secure. They are trustworthy. And our polling places are safe. Millions of people have already cast their ballots. I urge you to join them. If you haven't already, please vote.
There's only one message this morning: get out and vote.
This is the first election in American history in which political leaders are pushing conspiracy theories and lies about democracy itself.
Here's the good news: more than half of all Americans who will vote in this midterm election have already cast their ballot. Overwhelmingly, they have done so without incident. It has been calm and safe, just like any other year. There are a handful of exceptions--the armed men stalking some drop boxes in Arizona, blocked by a federal court, was the most visible example. But as that ruling reinforced, it is illegal to harass voters or election workers. Law enforcement this year has finally begun to step up to ensure safety.
But even though voters so far are experiencing a calm and normal election process, we all know it is anything but normal.
This is the first election in American history in which political leaders are pushing conspiracy theories and lies about democracy itself. It's no coincidence that the harassment occurred in Arizona, where prominent election deniers are running for senator, governor, and secretary of state. Michigan is having similar problems. Election deniers are on the ballot for governor and attorney general, while a group is signing up vigilante volunteers to install hidden cameras at ballot drop boxes and carry weapons in anticipation of trouble. There is a straight line between election denial and voter intimidation.
If you experience any form of voter intimidation, you should alert poll workers, local election officials, and the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE. If you are a poll worker and you experience threats or intimidation, call law enforcement. Police departments across the country are coordinating with election officials to ensure that the 2022 election is safe.
And while the voting process so far has been secure, we know that after the voting is over, the process of counting and certifying results may be the subject of conspiracy theories, violent threats, and fake news, as it was in 2020. If these election deniers lose fair and square, will they ever accept the results? That would itself be a challenge to the norms of our democracy.
Our elections are secure. They are trustworthy. And our polling places are safe. Millions of people have already cast their ballots. I urge you to join them. If you haven't already, please vote.