How do I rig thee?
Let me count the ways…
Trump claims that the U.S. elections are rigged
By Byron Toben
Donald Trump has famously claimed that U.S. elections are “rigged”.
He was right, as he or his cohorts are the ones rigging them.
No one has better documented this pattern than investigative reporter Greg Palast. His most recent book, How Trump Stole 2020, has gone into more exquisite detail than that of any other journalist I know of, not to mention his practical actions to correct some of the trickery.
There are so many tricks that I have almost lost count. Being of a literary bent, this brought to mind the 1850 poem, albeit on a different subject, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning entitled How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I guess 170 years is long enough to protect me from copyright laws, so below is my quickie list on How do I RIG thee? Let me count the ways:
1. I rig state voter registration lists
- Claim voter has moved even though they had not.
- Claim voter is a convict who has a similar name, even if the convict is from another state.
These techniques were expanded tremendously by former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s creation of the crosscheck voter purge program wherein names of convicted felons who were banned from voting in one state were sent to other states who used the lists to ban many with similar names (even different middle names or ages) to purge them from voter rolls.
Nationwide, Palast claims over a million potential voters were scrubbed, including in-depth documentation for Indiana and Wisconsin.
Palast discovered how Brian Kemp, now the Republican Governor of Georgia, used these secret voter “scrub lists” as then-Secretary of State for Georgia to decrease the likely voters for his democratic opponent Stacey Abrams.
Nationwide, Palast claims over a million potential voters were scrubbed, including in-depth documentation for Indiana and Wisconsin.
2. I rig the mail vote collection
- Slow down the postal service
- Throw out sorting machines
- Eliminate overtime pay
This was amply evidenced in Congressional hearings of Trump donor and recent appointee as Postmaster General, Louis Dejoy.
- Reduce drop off sites
Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has reduced such official boxes from 14 to only one per county (and Texas counties are really big!)
- Set up false voting drop off sites
The California Republican Party has done so, resulting in a cease and desist lawsuit by California’s Attorney General.
Image: Maryland GovPics via StockPholio.com
3. I rig examining mail vote forms
Some states have increased technicalities in filling out mail-in forms, wherein, for example, checking a circle instead of filling it in may disqualify. (Shades of Quebec’s second separation referendum of 1995, where extending the marking beyond the circle might invalidate the vote.)
‘Trump has called for 50,000 poll watchers to prevent fraudulent voting. Will these include vigilante groups bearing arms?’
4. I rig in-person voting
- Misleading day
- Misleading location
- Reduction of locations
In Kentucky, locations were reduced from 3700 to 200.
In Atlanta, Georgia, from 80 to 1.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 18 to 1.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 182 to 5; Green Bay, from 31 to 2.
- Intimidation of show-ups
Trump has called for 50,000 poll watchers to prevent fraudulent voting. Will these include vigilante groups bearing arms?
5. I rig substituting different electoral voters
A claim of so much fraud that electors who would follow popular vote will not be “certified” and the state must appoint new electors who reflect the “real” opinion of the people.
6. And for good measure, should all this fail…
I do so love rigging that I will file endless lawsuits and call to arms my private militias to ensure that there shall be no peaceful transition, all to be sanctioned by my loyal Attorney General and Supreme Court jurists.
Feature image: Erik (HASH) Hersman via StockPholio.com
Read more articles from Byron Toben
Byron Toben, a past president of The Montreal Press Club, has been WestmountMag.ca’s theatre reviewer since July 2015. Previously, he wrote for since terminated web sites Rover Arts and Charlebois Post, print weekly The Downtowner and print monthly The Senior Times. He also is an expert consultant on U.S. work permits for Canadians.
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