#2018 election

[sarcasticcynic]

Fact check: Donald Trump falsely claims California recall election is ‘rigged’ for Gavin Newsom

Background

In 2018, Californians elected Democrat Gavin Newsom as their new governor in a landslide, with a record high number of almost eight million votes in his favor. He won 62% of the vote, the biggest victory in a gubernatorial race in California since 1950 and the biggest victory for a non-incumbent since 1930.

Balance of Power

Since the 2020 election, Democrats have held a razor-thin majority in the U.S. Senate. The chamber is split evenly, 50-50, but in the event of a tie Vice President Kamala Harris casts the deciding vote. A loss of even one single Democratic Senator, however, would shift the balance of power back to the Republicans and reinstate Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader.

The oldest sitting senator is California Democrat Dianne Feinstein. She is 88. In California, when a U.S. senator retires or is otherwise unable to continue serving, the governor unilaterally selects a replacement, with no input from the voters or the legislature.

Recall Election

Coincidentally, this year Republicans have mounted a campaign to recall Gov. Newsom. Prominent Republicans nationwide, who have nothing to do with California, have nevertheless been vocal proponents of the recall. They hope to replace Newsom with a Republican--any Republican--who will appoint a Republican Senator to replace Feinstein should a replacement become necessary.

The recall election is today.

Now, California recalls are interesting: if less than 50% of the voters support the incumbent, the incumbent is recalled and the alternative with the highest number of votes immediately takes office regardless of the comparative level of support. If, for example, 49% of Californians vote for Newsom to remain in office, and just 12% want conservative radio host Larry Elder to be governor instead but he has more votes than anyone other than Newsom, then Elder wins.

Still, polls seem to show that the recall is unlikely to succeed. As noted above, Newsom was elected by an overwhelming margin over his Republican opponent, John Cox (whom Donald Trump endorsed). Moreover, 46.5% of California voters are registered Democrats, while only 24.1% are registered Republicans. The latest surveys estimate that Newsom is expected to receive around 58% of the vote.

Lying Liars Who Lie

So naturally both Trump and Elder have already started screaming that the Democrats have rigged the election.

"It's probably rigged. The ballots... are mail-in ballots... I guess you even have a case where you can make your own ballot. When that happens, nobody's gonna win except these Democrats. The one thing they are good at is rigging elections, so I predict it's a rigged election."

After all, that strategy worked so well in 2020.

[englishmajorhumor]

Get in, loser, we're going voting. 

Register, check your registration status, request an absentee ballot, and find your polling place! https://www.vote.org/

[riddleredcoats]

Damn son, you just murdered her...

[wtfuspolitics]

Go vote.

[nprfreshair]

Republican Voter Suppression Efforts Are Targeting Minorities, Journalist Says

Since the 2010 election, 24 states have implemented new restrictions on voting. Alabama now requires a photo ID to cast a ballot. Other states, like Ohio and Georgia, have enacted "use-it-or-lose" laws, which strike voters from registration rolls if they have not participated in an election within a proscribed period of time.

Mother Jones journalist Ari Berman, author of Give Us the Ballot, says that many of the restrictions are part of a broader Republican strategy to tighten access to the ballot — an effort that was bolstered in 2013 by the Supreme Court's Shelby County v. Holderruling.

"[That] decision," Berman explains, "said that those states with the longest histories of discrimination no longer had to approve their voting changes with the federal government."

As a result, Berman says, "You're seeing a national effort by the Republican Party to try to restrict voting rights, and it's playing out in states all across the country."

Many of the new voting restrictions are occurring in states like Georgia, North Dakota and Kansas, which have critical races in the 2018 election. Berman says that it's still unclear what the impact of the restrictions will be on the upcoming election, but he remains hopeful that the tide might be shifting on voter restrictions.

Berman points out that an amendment to Florida's 2018 ballot would restore voting rights to more than 1 million former felons who are currently disenfranchised in the state.

"The 2018 election could go in two different ways," he says. "It could be tainted by voter suppression, or it could be remembered as an election in which voting rights were expanded for millions of people." 

Photo: Voters cast ballots during early voting last week at C.T. Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center in Atlanta. Georgia has blocked approximately 53,000 voter registrations. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

[reasonandempathy]

Today in “Gun Rights are only for White People”

[randyite]

[icecreamsandbitch]

As a white woman, I am so, so sorry that white women keep voting for these disgusting Republican men. I'm heartbroken that Ted Cruz has been re-elected and I am fully aware that white people are dragging this country into fascism. I'm beyond ashamed and I will continue to work even harder as an ally for oppressed and minority groups. Your voices will. be. heard.