Throughout its work to encourage overseas Americans to vote in the 2022 elections in the USA, FAWCO’s US Voting Committee stressed the need for active citizenship to protect US democracy. The election results brought good news and bad news. The good news is that voters within and outside the US won significant victories for democracy. The bad news is that the struggle will continue, and all voters need to be ready to keep playing their part in preserving democracy in the US until they win the battle.
Good news: defeat of extremist candidates at the state level
An earlier Voting Committee article spelled out the danger to free and legitimate elections posed by efforts to change or control the machinery of elections in states. Good news: voters defeated “election deniers” running for offices that run elections – Governor and/or Secretary of State – in several closely contested states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Nevada. This much reduces the danger of election results being officially contested or manipulated within these states.
The Washington Post summarizes more general good news: voters’ rejection of extremist election deniers: “Some election deniers won, but the hard-liners almost always ran behind their fellow [party members] and lost in places where the electorate was the most competitive.”
What is an election denier? CBS News defines election deniers as candidates who have one or more of the following characteristics:
- Said they believe the 2020 election was stolen;
- Repeated disproven claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020;
- Supported a type of post 2020-audit, sometimes following recounts or canvassing;
- Signed onto the Texas lawsuit looking to overturn the 2020 election results in several battleground states;
- Objected to certify the 2020 Electoral College results in Arizona and Pennsylvania on Jan. 6, 2021; or
- Have at least once, if not more, been unclear when asked if they believe President Joe Biden was legitimately elected.
FAWCO continues to stand by the results of the safe, secure and legitimate 2020 US election. The defeat of many election deniers is:
… an important electoral victory that allows all of us to fight another day—specifically, two years from now. Without the defeat of the deniers in 2022, the 2024 elections would likely have fallen into chaos and perhaps even violence. Both are still possibilities. But voters rallied and turned back the worst and most immediate threats to the American system of government.
Bad news: the struggle continues at all levels
Various news sources estimate that around 300 election deniers ran for office in the US in 2022. The bad news is that many of them won: “… overall, at least 60% of the … candidates who raised unfounded doubts about the validity or integrity of the 2020 election results – 185 of 308 – are projected to win their midterm races so far.”
A source of trouble may be the body entrusted with certifying the results of the 2024 Presidential election – the US Congress. Congress will contain more election deniers in 2025 than in 2021. According to CBS News:
In the next Congress, there are projected to be 156 … House members who have raised doubts about the validity of the 2020 election, an increase from the 147 … who, in January 2021, voted to object to the certification of the Electoral College. In the new Senate, five new senators who fall into the category of "election deniers" will take office, with four incumbents joining them.
In addition, two newly elected House members were part of the crowd that marched to and attacked the Capitol on January 6. If Congressional election deniers dislike the results of the 2024 election, what will they do when they are asked to certify them?
Further, problems such as gerrymandering and voter-suppression laws remain.
What we can do: be ready to renew the struggle in 2024
This continuing emergency requires all US citizens, everywhere, do their best to protect US democracy. This means not only doing our best to register voters and ensure that they can cast valid ballots in 2024 – and afterwards – but also championing American democracy. The latter can include something as simple as recognizing, and urging other Americans to recognize, that defending American democracy from those who would subvert it is the paramount issue of our day: “where politicians stand on democracy is more important than tax rates, inflation, gas prices or any other policy issue.”
Sources
Blake A. How badly election deniers cost the GOP, in 9 stats. Washington Post, November 14, 2022.
Burgher MS. US democracy in danger – active citizenship needed. FAWCO, May 20, 2022.
Burgher MS. US voting – now is the time to act. FAWCO, March 8, 2022.
Editorial. Jan. 6 was worse than you remember. It must define our politics. Washington Post, May 7, 2022.
Kranish M. They rallied in DC on Jan. 6. Now they’ll join Congress. Washington Post, November 11, 1022.
Nichols T. Democracy’s Dunkirk. The fight to preserve American democracy continues. The Atlantic. November 18, 2022.
Rosen J, Legare R & Navarro A. 2022 midterm elections: Election deniers who won and lost. CBS News. November 15, 2022.