Opinion
tuftsdaily.com
7 Tuesday, November 2, 2021
VIEWPOINT
The ‘Big Lie:’ How the crusade against the 2020 presidential election threatens our democracy by Reya Kumar and Sara Kessel Opinion Editors
After days of counting and nail biting, President Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election last November. Two months later, on Jan. 6, supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building in an attempt to stop the certification of the election results, following a “Stop the Steal” rally held by Trump nearby. This violent outcome did not appear out of thin air — Trump had been casting doubt about election results since before the 2016 election. He claimed the 2016 election would be rigged against him and once he won, he said that he lost the popular vote due to people illegally voting for Hillary Clinton. His rhetoric remained the same for the 2020 election. Now, the so-called “Big Lie,” the term Trump has coined to claim his stolen victory, has become a central point in the Republican platform. In April, after calls from Trump to investigate the election results of Arizona’s Maricopa County, which had previously been audited and certified, a group of Arizona Republicans commissioned an audit of the Maricopa County ballots. Election audits are common, but they are usually nonpartisan and performed by experienced election officials. However, this group of Arizona Republicans chose a private cybersecurity firm called Cyber Ninjas, which had never audited an election and whose CEO is a known election conspiracy theorist. Additionally, the audit was largely funded by groups connected to Donald Trump. In late September, after months of delays, Cyber Ninjas released their report. Despite the obvious partisanship of the audit, they found 99 more votes for Biden and 261 fewer votes for Trump — a negligible difference which nonetheless nullifies any claims that Trump should have won the county. Yet Trump has falsely reiterated that they found evidence of fraud and many Republicans in other states, such as
BY ASLI KOCAK Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are pushing for similar audits. Democrats and even many Republicans have spoken out against these partisan audits. Nonetheless, Trump and his supporters continue to push for them and perpetuate the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. In fact, according to a CNN poll, six out of 10 Republicans said that believing that Trump would win the 2020 election was a significant part of what being Republican meant to them. Today, more Americans identify as Democrats than as Republicans, and the Democratic party’s popular lead over conservatives only continues to increase as more people become eligible to vote. Democrats are typically concentrated in urban areas while Republicans dominate rural areas, giv-
ing smaller, Republican-leaning states outsized governmental importance, as laid out in the Constitution. Because Republicans do not necessarily need to win majorities to win seats or the presidency, they have moved sharply to the right, toward conspiracy theories like QAnon and away from democracy. Their strategy has moved toward using conservative media and Trumpism to electrify their voters while employing voter suppression tactics, casting doubts on election validity and manipulating redistricting to reduce the impact of Democratic voters. What is most terrifying about the proliferation of the Big Lie is the potential legislative impact of this conspiracy. Spreading the belief that our elections are fraudulent because Trump did not win has spurred a
Republican movement to enact restrictive voting laws. Arizona removed voters from its Permanent Early Voting List if they did not cast a mailed ballot in a four-year period, regardless of whether they voted in person during that time. Texas’ state house passed a bill increasing the power of partisan poll watchers, raising penalties for voting crimes and barring election officials from sending unrequested mail in ballots to Texas citizens. In Michigan, Republican lawmakers are pushing a number of voting bills that would limit the accessibility of casting a ballot or finding information on elected officials. These laws are only the beginning of what could be a complete demolition of voting rights as we know them. And the push to stop this trend at the federal level through the For the People Act and the Freedom to Vote Act is only weakening as partisan gridlock increases. Across the ideological spectrum, the protection of voting rights and fairness in our democratic system should be a priority. Weakening the voting process through what is essentially Trump’s political pity party makes a mockery of this system while furthering tactics of voter suppression. Rather than incite a partisan war over contesting fair and legitimate election results, our lawmakers’ focus should always be to protect the trust citizens have in government and ensure that all voters can easily participate in our elections. If you can vote, exercise that right and vote, not just in the upcoming midterms but for local and state races. Support organizations like Fair Fight Action that work to protect voting rights and fight against disenfranchisement. Push your representatives to make protecting our democracy a legislative priority. Make sure the people in your lives are voting if they can. Help them navigate any barriers that may exist toward casting their ballot and if they support claims of widespread voter fraud, educate them on why these ideas are misguided. We cannot let any more disinformation, restrictive laws or partisan claims threaten the future of our democracy.
VIEWPOINT
What’s at stake in the Virginia gubernatorial election by Faye Shen Li Thijssen Opinion Editor
Today, the state of Virginia will vote to decide who its next governor will be. With the 2022 midterm elections rapidly approaching, the two leading candidates in next week’s election head into the polls in a close race. The leading democratic candidate, Terry McAuliffe, is an experienced politician who is running for reelection after previously serving as governor for one term from 2014 to 2018. He has led his campaign with the message of moving the commonwealth forward and creating a better future for its citizens, especially in the context of a post-COVID-19 economy. Though he has often argued that the state needs “seasoned” leadership, there is some concern that McAuliffe’s prior experience in government may prove itself detrimental to his campaign’s success in a political environment that has begun to favor outsiders. Though many antici-
pated a secure victory for McAuliffe, the race has taken a turn, leading McAuliffe to reach out for support from national leaders like President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama in the hopes of maintaining a Democratic hold over statewide office. Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin, a former businessman with a right-leaning agenda, has become a formidable threat to Democratic leadership in this year’s gubernatorial race. Given his state’s potential transition to a red state and similarities between their professional backgrounds, Youngkin has unsurprisingly gained the support of former President Donald Trump. However, Youngkin has strategically avoided expressing his explicit support or disapproval of the controversial leader, instead branding himself as a “niceguy dad” while donning his signature fleece vest and emphasizing his humble upbringing and his life as a father of four children. When asked whether he supported Trump, he avoided providing
a direct answer, instead stating, “I’m Glenn Youngkin.” Aside from his carefully curated personality, one of the forefront parts of Youngkin’s platform focuses on winning support from parents who oppose critical race theory (CRT) being taught to their children in schools. Youngkin’s campaign promises of removing CRT from school curriculums plays into polarized debates that have recently gained traction throughout the state and the nation. Many parents that are protesting the implementation of CRT claim it emphasizes racial identity over people’s individuality, with some even connecting it to “advancing Marxist ideology.” Youngkin’s promise to ban CRT and McAuliffe’s claims that his opponent’s issue is “another right-wing conspiracy” exemplify the polarization that continues to progress throughout statewide and national political environments. If Youngkin is elected to office this November, it could set a dangerous precedent for local educational discourse on a nationwide level. Youngkin’s
views on CRT reflect an ignorance that should not be endorsed by the government. Today’s election marks the first major election since the 2020 presidential cycle, giving it the possibility for significant influence over upcoming decisions in national politics. Virginia has held strong Democratic control over all statewide offices for over a decade, and just last year, Biden won a majority of the state’s votes by over 10 percentage points in the presidential election. As a historically contended state, the outcome of the Virginia gubernatorial election could be integral to predictions of the upcoming midterm elections in 2022. Losing this Democratic lead could reverberate across the national political sphere. This election might bear implications for the nation in terms of concrete policy, precedent or polarization on key issues. Constituents and leaders beyond Virginia should remain educated and involved in Virginia’s political decisions as we make our way into another national election cycle next year.