Republicans are a bigger threat to democracy than Russia

Republicans are a bigger threat to democracy than Russia

December 4, 2018

For years, the Republican party has been using various underhanded means to gain advantage in elections. They realize that it is the only way they can win. Old, white Republicans are dying off at the same time as young, more liberal citizens reach voting age. Those young voters, combined with the increase in certain minority populations, result in a growing Democratic majority.

Republicans are not going down without a fight, even if it means betraying the principles upon which this country was founded. They are striking at the very heart of democracy - the right to vote and to have that vote counted.

Here in Michigan, Republicans have achieved success in reducing the value of Democratic votes:

[In this fall's election,] GOP Legislature candidates received less than 50 percent of total votes statewide, but the party still maintained a 58-52 advantage in the House, and 22-16 majority in the Senate – even in an election when Democratic candidates won for governor, secretary of state, attorney general and several other major offices. (Bridge, 11/29/2018)

They were able to do so due to the voting districts devised by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2011, after the 2010 census. Using sophisticated software and loads of demographic data, they managed to create what is recognized as the most gerrymandered districts in the country. They did so by packing as many African-Americans and other Democrat-leaning minorities as possible into a few districts, sacrificing them to guarantee Republican majorities in the surrounding districts. The same scheme was used in several other states where Republicans control the legislature.

Voter suppression is another tactic: making voting difficult or impossible for groups that tend to favor Democrats:

Voter ID. Several states require a photo ID at the polls, knowing that people who don't have drivers licenses tend to be poor and that the poor are disproportionately minorities. These states offer state IDs for non-drivers, but make it inconvenient for poor people dependent upon public transportation to get them.
Inadequate polling stations. Too few polling stations in poor and minority neighborhoods and too few voting machines force voters to wait in line for hours. Restricted voting hours, along with limited access to absentee voting, exacerbates the problem.
Felon disqualification. Most states ban prisoners from voting, but many also make it difficult for felons to get their voting rights restored after they've paid their debt to society. Here again, prisoners are disproportionately minorities.
Purging registration lists. Under the guise of purifying voter rolls, states have removed thousands for reasons such as not having voted in the last two elections, or the name or address not exacting matching other public records. While both Republican and Democratic voters can get caught up in this, it is the poor and minorities that face the largest obstacles in getting re-registered.

Donald Trump lost the popular vote in the 2016 election; one wonders if he would also have lost in the electoral college if voter suppression and gerrymandering had not delivered a majority for him there.

Russia's interference in our elections, while surprising, was not entirely unbelievable coming from a hostile foreign rival. Interference from within in the form of gerrymandering and voter suppression by one of our own political parties is appalling.

Democracy is government by the people. Any interference in the process of determining the will of the majority, whether by foreign or domestic perpetrators, is absolutely unacceptable.

The online news source Bridge has an excellent series on gerrymandering in Michigan:

September 25, 2018 - How a shadow Republican group gerrymandered Michigan – sparking a backlash

September 25, 2018 - Maps show how gerrymandering benefitted Michigan Republicans

October 13, 2018 - Emails: Michigan Republicans brag that redistricting ‘protects incumbents’

November 8, 2018 - Gerrymandered districts help Republicans keep control of Michigan Legislature

November 29, 2018 - Gerrymandering 101: How voters favor Dems, but GOP keeps Michigan Legislature

Gerrymandering and voter suppression across the U.S. is addressed at length in the new book One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying our Democracy by Carol Anderson.

See also: Are Republicans abandoning democracy? by E.J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post, December 9, 2018.

Send comments, questions, and tips to stevenrharry@gmail.com, or call or text me at 517-505-2696. If you'd like to be notified by email when I post a new story, let me know.

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