March 30, 2021/Media, Press

ICYMI: Editorials Call Out Republicans “Feverish Hunt For Voter Fraud,” Declare Their Continued Attempts To Undermine Democracy As The “Real Threat To Election Integrity”

As Republicans in Georgia were passing sweeping voter suppression bills, North Carolina Republicans’ “hysteria about alleged voter fraud was on full display.” Editorials from the News & Observer and the Durham Herald Sun highlight how the NC GOP feeds off of their election fraud fantasies to undermine trust in democracy, “propping up election integrity as an excuse” to continue pushing bills that restrict voting.

North Carolina Republicans introduced Senate Bill 326 that would stop the count of absentee ballots on Election Day. The “Election Integrity Act” is proof that they are  “seemingly still hypnotized by former President Trump’s outlandish complaints about voter fraud that didn’t exist.”

While Republicans continue their charade, North Carolina Democrats are working hard to expand access to the ballot box. Last week, Senate Democrats previewed bills that would enact automatic voter registration, combat voter intimidation, and keep a nine-day window in place for absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted. And today, House Democrats introduced the Fair Maps Act, to end gerrymandering and establish an independent commission for redistricting.

“The actions we’ve seen from Republicans across the country and right here in North Carolina to perpetuate baseless claims about our elections and attempt to restrict access to voting are deeply harmful to our democracy,” said NCDP Chair Bobbie Richardson. “North Carolina Democrats are committed to ensuring the people of North Carolina can make their voice heard in our elections.”

The contrast couldn’t be more clear. Read more.

News & Observer: The GOP’s feverish hunt for NC election fraud uncovers a shocking result – clean elections

  • The Republican Party’s hysteria about alleged voter fraud was on full display in North Carolina last week.

  • It was as baseless as ever, but this time it had the added dimensions of wasted tax dollars and the browbeating of an elections official who has served the state and democracy well.

  • Even as the fraud probe came up nearly empty, Republican state lawmakers continue to cast aspersions on Karen Brinson Bell, director of the State Board of Elections.

  • It was a perfectly sensible change in light of the delays in postal deliveries and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the Republicans’ objection to it. That didn’t stop Republicans from calling Brinson Bell before the Senate’s redistricting and elections committee last week to accuse her of usurping their authority over election laws, supposedly to skew the election in favor of the Democrats.

  • They should be applauding Brinson Bell, not accusing her. But when it comes to elections these days, Republicans would rather stir suspicion than acknowledge the truth.

Durham Herald Sun: Republicans flip flop on an NC voting rule, then mock critics of their new position. Really?

  • For years, North Carolina Republicans have seen their justification for restrictive voter laws fade before their eyes. Judges have forcefully struck down attempts at N.C. voter suppression. Audits have rejected reasons for trying. Finally, the 2020 election affirmed what non-Republicans have been saying all along — that there is no widespread voter fraud in North Carolina.

  • So what do N.C. Republicans have left? Apparently, it’s mockery.

  • Hise argues trust in elections is now an issue. But that’s true not because a three-day window has caused consternation among North Carolinians anytime in the last decade. It’s true because Republicans have spent the four months since Election Day spreading lies about voter fraud. That drumbeat is the real threat to election integrity.

  • But this is what happens when you run out of justifications for trying to stop people from casting a ballot. Across the country, Republicans are propping up election integrity as an excuse for hundreds of bills that would unnecessarily restrict voting.

  • The goal, for Democrats and Republicans alike, should be to encourage as many people as possible to vote without increasing the chance for meaningful fraud. Calling out attempts to do otherwise isn’t the “vapors.” It’s protecting voters from lawmakers who want to make democracy harder.

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