By Joe Miller
This Week: Election Deniers Face Facts in Georgia As MAGA Voter Suppression Efforts Move Forward Elsewhere
Election deniers are facing a nationwide pushback this week in the wake of new revelations that the Trump campaign commissioned an outside research firm in 2020 to prove his false claims of election fraud. Because the firm disputed many of his theories and could not find any proof, Trump and his allies never released the findings. No one is above the law, and this plot highlights the importance of holding election deniers accountable. Even more evidence of MAGA efforts to knowingly push false conspiracies and undermine the will of the American people will be released shortly.
In Georgia, a judge has ordered three sections of the Fulton County grand jury’s final report to be publicly released tomorrow. The three sections include an introduction, conclusion, and a section discussing “concern that some witnesses may have lied under oath during their testimony.” The full report on Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss will remain mostly sealed as DA Fani Willis continues to consider charges in the case, which are “legally imminent” and could be disrupted if certain findings are made public too soon. Any charges made against former President Trump would mark the first official prosecution involving his efforts to overturn the election and would likely lead to a bigger federal case. Willis has already laid out six state laws that Trump and his allies may have broken, including: criminal solicitation to commit election fraud, making false statements to state and local governmental bodies, criminal conspiracy, racketeering, violating oaths of office, and involvement in violence or threats related to election administration.
In spite of mounting evidence of criminality, Trump’s election lies continue to influence and inspire MAGA lawmakers across the country. In Texas, a GOP election administration law passed in 2021 is on the verge of costing taxpayers more than $100 million. The law, which comes into effect during the 2026 election cycle, stipulates that certain voting equipment cannot be reused—worrying election officials across the state that they won’t have the tools to safely deliver accurate election results. Worse still, the two voting machine vendors currently certified in Texas do not produce voting machines that match the law’s specifications, nor do any voting machine companies operating in the US.
Speaking of voting machines, voting is underway in Wisconsin for a state Supreme Court race that could flip the court from conservative to liberal. Over the past year, the conservative majority on the top court has overseen severe election restrictions, banning all ballot drop boxes and barring election clerks from filling in missing information on ballot envelopes. The high-stakes race will determine the fate of abortion rights, gerrymandered maps, gubernatorial appointments, and possibly even the 2024 election results in Wisconsin.
Elsewhere, election deniers are still working to uplift conspiracies and subvert democratic norms:
In Nevada, local election workers continue to face pressure and harassment after far-right, QAnon-linked figure Jim Marchant—who was narrowly defeated in the race for Secretary of State last year—launched a conspiracy-driven movement of election deniers opposing local election administrators.
Kansas Republicans have selected an election conspiracy theorist as their new leader. Within 30 minutes of his appointment, the state GOP reviewed a resolution demanding that the U.S. House impeach President Joe Biden.
In Florida, one of the 20 voters arrested by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ election police took a plea deal with statewide prosecutors this week as a bill making it easier for DeSantis and his allies to prosecute voters awaits the Governor’s signature.
And finally, in Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers is resisting MAGA voter suppression efforts through a proposal that would automatically register Wisconsin drivers to vote. Evers’ proposal would also make voting easier in the state by expanding early voting and allowing clerks to count absentee ballots in advance in addition to automatic voter registration.
