Can we make use of this moment in trumpian derangement?

[quakerboy]

Trump, via Rudi, and his supporters are all up in arms about voting machines.

One of their big conspiracy theories about why trump loss is that the machines flipped a certain percentage of votes to Biden. Listening to them, my guess is that this follows their usual patterns.. commit a crime, then blame the other side for it. Given the history of issues with voting machines, that seem to me as reasonable an explanation for the difference between polling and results as the common idea that the pollsters were just wrong.

But.. this would seem like a great moment to accomplish a major judo win for transparent democracy. Use their current anger to flip the situation on their historic and future likely illegal vote fraud.

The US house could quickly pass a bill forbidding the use of black box voting in future US elections. Require universal paper ballots going forward. The senate and president then have to pass it(and thereby reducing their ability to malevolently effect future elections) or by failing to do so doing so they would admit that their arguments are projection and republicans can only win via cheating.

Looks like a win win to me.

[pat_k]

1. Rallying cry: Verified voting via universal vote by mail.

Universal vote by mail as it is conducted in WA, CO, and OR is perhaps the safest, most secure, way to run a truly free and fair election.

Verification of registration though multistate ERIC is a defense against the type of "fraud" they claim occurs (It rarely happens, but a system that ensures it doesn't can't be argued with. If all states were members, it would be even more effective.)

This is what we should be lobbying for in every state.

[quakerboy]

2. Maybe we dont mention those three states

And just run with the no more machines idea. Wouldnt want to confuse the poor snowflakes.

And maybe we make it a nation wide thing, not a state by state battle. Between Dems who should obviously support this, and the whacked out republican fringe angry about their loss, maybe we could actually get it through.

[pat_k]

4. Congressional authority over the administration of elections is somewhat limited.

Congressional authority over the administration of elections is somewhat limited. (Analysis here.) The only thing that is inarguable is that Congress can pass laws that enforce prohibitions against specific discriminatory practices in all elections, including federal, state and local elections.

It might be argued that mandating universal mail in voting is the only way to enforce prohibitions against the type of discrimination seen with other mechanisms (e.g., long lines in populous areas for in person voting = discrimination against urban voters). Legislation mandating the replacement of machines with other types of verified voting is less clearly aimed at ending certain types of discrimination. I think it would be hard to argue that such legislation is constitutional

Unfortunately, almost any legislation that mandates change in the administration of elections in a way that addresses voter suppression would certainly be struck down by SCOTUS given the current make up of the court. We need to successfully impeach a few members or expand the court before going there.

That isn't to say that we shouldn't mount a national campaign for universal mail in voting -- a serious campaign. A campaign that covers all the asinine objections with simple explanations of safeguards and reasons it is so much more secure and fair. It is an easier campaign to mount than piecemeal state-by-state efforts because you are calling on people to lobby their state legislators for something well defined with consistent messaging. The campaign would also need to demonize those who fight against making elections truly free and fair as anti-American. (They are opposing the most fundamental principle the nation was founded on.)

[mitch96]

3. Ahhh tRump Derangement Syndrome... I hear it's fatal ... nt