We have to prebut Trump’s 2026 stolen election claims.
This is the phrase Mark Warner kept using in our briefing this morning.
We have to make the claims seem ridiculous NOW so he can’t use them after the fact.
We need to be on offense and get ahead of his messaging before he even starts spreading it.
Last night we got a taste of that messaging.
His whole goal is to get people to distrust voting. Whether he can convince them through foreign interference claims or domestic interference claims, he’ll try it all
So here are some things to note.
First, the only presidential election he’s claiming was stolen was the one HE was in charge of. It was his people who were in charge of making that a safe, free and fair election, and actually, thanks to Russian interference in 2016, it was one of the safest.
During Trump’s first term, Mark Warner co-led the Russia Investigation along with Republican Richard Burr. The findings from that investigation strengthened our elections. All these tools that were created under Trump then, he is trying to dismantle now.
That is the most important point. He did all this. This was all 100% with his supervision.
Second, the job of the Election Assistance Commission, which no longer has a quorum or any members for that matter, was to focus on election security.
One way they did this was through yearly hackathons through a program called Voting Village. Hackers would hack into our voting machines so that we could find every possible loophole and patch it before the election took place.
With the empty EAC, those are no longer happening. So Trump might say he cares about election security, but he’s taking away the very tools that keep elections secure in the first place.
And this isn’t news, we know he doesn’t actually care about election security. He wants elections less secure not more.
But he’s warped the brains of his followers so they don’t see it. It’s on us to show them.
And that’s easier than you think. This argument is pretty powerful no matter who you voted for. This isn’t about his policies. This is purely about safe and secure elections. Most people, when they hear it in these terms, don’t want Trump’s or foreign interference, even if they voted for him.
But most people reading this essay, or that will talk to people who read it, know that. We know Trump is corrupt, we know he is trying to make elections less secure, this isn’t a useful argument for us.
So, what’s the prebuttal for our communities?
Not voting helps Trump just as much as falling for his election security lie. As Senator Warner said today “if you want to follow his expectations and do his bidding, then don’t vote.” It’s really that simple.
He knows that with a big enough turnout against him and Republicans, it doesn’t really matter what he does, he WILL lose. That’s why he’s doing this.
So that means voting in every single district, in every single race, even if you think it doesn’t matter.
That means holding your nose and voting for the Dem on your ballot even if they don’t meet your needs.
That means voting early, if you can, cause most of his shenanigans will be on Election Day. He tries to mess with early voting before the fact, but once it starts he pretty much leaves it alone.
It means signing up to be a poll worker if you are able.
It means that red state Dems need to hold your elected officials accountable. Don’t stop shitting on them if they hand over their voter rolls to DHS and pressure them not to if they haven’t already.
It means looking up who the Dems are running for Secretary of State and Attorney General in your state and lifting them up as much as possible.
I’ll leave you with one other thing Warner said: “If we allow the president to steal it, shame on us.”
Your vote and your voice is your superpower, but only when you use it. So prebut the hell out of these ridiculous arguments and let’s save democracy!
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