Conservative Republican State Election Officials Unite to Reassure the Legitimacy of Elections against False Claims of Election Fraud

Conservative Republican state election officials have united to form a working group to reassure voters about the legitimacy of elections and to debunk false claims of election fraud. The effort is led by the Chief Operating Officer of the Georgia Secretary of State and is coordinated by the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and the R Street Institute, a center-right thank tank. Several GOP Secretaries of State are participating. Since Donald Trump and his supporters made false claims of election fraud following his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, nearly 40% of state, county and local election officials across America have faced bullying and threats. Many state and county election office managers have resigned, causing losses of experience, and there is a shortage of local workers. The false claims, which were rejected by Republican election officials, Republican-appointed state and federal judges, and most GOP members of Congress, undermines confidence in elections. Thus, they further the goal of Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, the ex-Soviet intelligence officer intent on restoring the Soviet/Russian Empire, who had interfered in the 2016 presidential primaries and general election, backing Trump with a “sweeping and systematic” campaign of interference through overt and covert propaganda and disinformation, according to the Republican special counsel, which was validated by the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee. As it does in European politics, Russia interfered in American politics since 2014 to increase support for its policies, back favorable candidates, divide Americans, and undermine confidence in elections and the truth. After Trump, who had defrauded voters when he falsely said he had not been continuing to do business with Russia during the 2016 campaign, asked for Russian interference on his behalf, Russia obliged and his campaign coordinated its messaging with advanced knowledge of leaks by a Russian cut-out, Wikileaks, of information stolen by the Russians. Russia continued to support Trump in the 2020 General Election. Yet the demagogic Trump, who denied Russian interference on his behalf and obstructed the criminal probe of Russian interference, and who had also benefited from deception, intimidation and illegal campaign finance activities, convinced his supporters, who deny or minimize the massive Russian interference by focusing only on the lack of criminal prosecution of Trump campaign staffers, that he was instead the victim of election fraud, despite a lack of convincing evidence. His false allegations of election fraud cost Republican candidates votes and control of the Senate in 2020 because he persuaded voters that their votes would not be counted. Election officials in Georgia were particularly targeted by pressure from Trump after the 2020 General Election, and in several other closely contested States. The Republican Secretary of State of Kentucky won the Profiles in Courage Award last week for resisting such pressure from Trump. Trump’s attempt to stay in power culminated in the January 6, 2021 Insurrection against the congressional certification of the vote of the Electoral College, delaying the process, but failing to overturn the results. Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a conservative Republican who was nominated by the liberal Democratic Governor and confirmed by the divided General Assembly with strong bipartisan support, was not named in the professional media reports as a participant in the state election officials working group, but had expressed similar views as Philadelphia City Commissioner that Trump had falsely undermined confidence in a legitimate election. Like most Trump critics, the elections watchdog faced death threats against him and his family. The integrity of elections have thus become a critical issue in the 2024 presidential election. The efforts of Republican elections officials to reassure the voters of election integrity are essential both for continued voter confidence and particularly Republican voter turnout, but for acceptance of the will of the voters by all, which is essential for elective government. Moreover, the brave work they do to conduct honest elections by preventing election fraud while debunking false claims of election fraud defends representative government from authoritarians who use populism and demagoguery through false claims of election fraud to gain or remain in power, especially while denying the election fraud that benefits them.