Letter: What are you scared of?
“What are you scared of” asked Utah House Majority Leader Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, to opponents of a 50-state audit of the 2020 election results, decertification of electors in states with results certified “prematurely and inaccurately” and convening the U.S. House to “decide the rightful winner of the election.”
I’m scared when a state’s Secretary of State is asked by the president to find one more vote than his opponent to overturn an election, that they will do so in the future.
I’m scared when governors are asked by the president to call a special session to replace the elected electors with those chosen by the state legislature, that they will do so in the future.
I’m scared when state legislatures are asked by the president to not send his opponent’s electors to the electoral college but a slate of his electors, that they will do so in the future.
I’m scared when the U.S. Attorney General is asked to send a letter saying the Justice Department had evidence that raised “significant concerns” about the election results in multiple states. The letter suggested the Georgia legislature should “call itself into special session for the limited purpose of considering issues pertaining to the appointment of Presidential Electors”, that they will do so in the future.
I’m scared when the Vice-President counting Electoral College votes refuses to defer decisions from seven states because they allegedly had competing electors although, in fact, no state had actually put forward an alternate slate of electors, that they would do so in the future.
Lastly, I’m scared that the current mindset in right-wing circles that court decisions are mere suggestions, that election results are valid only if their side wins. Republican politicians are shaking confidence in the election system with a partisan review of the 2020 results, marking a dangerous time for democracy. They’re using a coordinated campaign to politicize elections, to intimidate poll workers and election officials, to install their 2024 coup crew, because it’s good for politics and it’s good for their fundraising, which is a pretty jaded approach to sell out American democracy.
Richard Keckler
North Ogden