Nice democracy you have there. It’d be a real shame if anything were to happen to it. That seems to be what the MAGA goons stalking ballot drop boxes seem to be saying to voters.
Despite lying about voter fraud, using those lies to change laws making it more difficult for minorities to vote, and claiming they’re going to have a red wave on November 8 and retake the House, Senate, and all the governor races, Republicans still feel the need to send out armed goons to stalk ballot boxes. They still feel the need to cheat further.
Last Friday, two such armed goons in masks and tactical gear were stalking a ballot box in Maricopa County, Arizona. Maricopa County is where Arizona Republicans have based all their lies and even allowed a pro-MAGA group with zero experience in ballot counting to recount the county months after the election was certified. Biden won Maricopa County. Fact, fact, fuckity fact, fact.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake has pushed lie after lie on voter fraud, continues to claim that Trump won the state, and that she’ll only recognize the upcoming election in Arizona as legitimate if she wins. Arizonans should test this by voting for her Democratic opponent Katie Hobbs.
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Gates and Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer issued a joint statement saying, “We are deeply concerned about the safety of individuals who are exercising their constitutional right to vote and who are lawfully taking their early ballot to a drop box. Uninformed vigilantes outside Maricopa County’s drop boxes are not increasing election integrity. Instead, they are leading to voter intimidation complaints.”
The statement also reads, “For those who want to be involved in election integrity, become a poll worker or an official observer with your political party. Don’t dress in body armor to intimidate voters as they are legally returning their ballots.” Yeah, except they harass intimidate poll workers too. That’s what Rudy and Trump did to at least two black female poll workers in Georgia.
There are other complaints about goons stalking ballot drop boxes throughout Arizona. One complaint says voters and their license plates are being photographed as they drop off their ballots. Another complaint says voters are being followed after dropping off their ballots. And another says goons stalking ballot boxes have been shouting “mules” at voters, which is a reference to a fringe voter fraud conspiracy theory and debunked film created by a Trump mule after he had received a pardon from Trump.
Ironically or hypocritically, some of the uniformed armed and masked goons are covering their own license plates as they take photos of voters’ license plates.
An association for retirees and an organization for Latino voters are seeking a temporary restraining order against a group titled Clean Elections USA (HAHAHAHA! Yeah, right) they allege is coordinating a campaign of voter intimidation in Arizona.
Melody Jennings, the founder of “Clean Elections USA,” a supposed minister, a frequent guest on Steve Bannon’s podcast, and a certified goon has boasted of training and deploying volunteers in 18 states, including Arizona. Melody, you don’t have clean elections by sending armed and masked goons to intimidate people while they’re voting.
Mike Peterson, the guy who does Comic Strip of the Day and a friend of mine, replied to this cartoon in a tweet saying, “I’d almost be more comfortable if the GOP had formally sent them. The GOP’s hatemongering, paranoid rhetoric inspires them, which is a sign of how utterly irresponsible they are in ignoring the real-world impact of their power-mad, idiotic ravings.”
That’s generous. Mike’s statement implies that if the GOP knew their hatemongering paranoid rhetoric was inspiring goons to intimidate voters, then they’d stop with the rhetoric. I’m more cynical than my friend. I believe that’s one of the reasons they’re doing so much hatemongering, lying, and spreading conspiracy theories. I don’t believe Republicans have consciences.
Republicans don’t care about election fraud. If they did, they’d be outraged, livid, and calling for the prosecution of the guy who called a governor and told him to “find” him 11,780 votes.
Republicans have spread conspiracy theories about mail-in voting and ballot boxes, claiming they’re used for voter and election fraud. Yet, there were no reported cases of fraud, vandalism, or anything else that could have changed the outcome of the 2020 election. Fact, fact, fuckity fact, fact.
Armed goons stalking ballot drop boxes while wearing masks isn’t just discouraged, it’s illegal. It’s against federal law and many state laws to intimidate voters. This stems from voter intimidation during the Civil Rights era when racist jerks in the deep south would harass, intimidate, and threaten black voters.
And isn’t it funny that the people who scream the loudest about election integrity don’t have integrity?
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