WASHINGTON – A pro-democracy organization warned Monday that disinformation and violent rhetoric could make the weeks after Election Day particularly tense and push the country beyond the upheaval that emerged four years ago during the last presidential transition.
The comments from three members of the Defend Democracy Project came just days before voting ends on November 5, even though the country may not know for days who won the presidential contest and who has control of Congress, given several extremely close races.
That could leave a lot of room for speculation as state election officials count mail-in ballots and possibly conduct a full recount, similar to four years ago.
“I think the biggest vulnerability will continue to be the misinformation and disinformation that will emerge after the election,” said Olivia Troye, who previously worked for Vice President Mike Pence as a special adviser on homeland security and counterterrorism.
Troye expressed concerns that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump could make false claims of voter fraud and encourage violence similar to that seen on January 6, 2021 if he loses the Electoral College again.
Troye pointed one out Election bulletin from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security warned that “candidates, elected officials, poll workers, members of the media and judges involved in these cases” could all be targets of post-election violence.
“And they are also concerned about the visible attacks and violence at polling places or ballot boxes,” Troye said, referring to the burning of ballots in ballot boxes Oregon And Washington it says early Monday morning.
Michael Podhorzer, chairman of the Defend Democracy Project, said during the virtual briefing for reporters that one of the reasons many state officials did not heed requests to “find votes for Trump” in the days after the 2020 election was because of President Joe Biden had “two states left.”
“And that created a prisoner’s dilemma for every Republican election official who may have done the wrong thing,” Podhorzer said. “So when you take the call to (Georgia Secretary of State) Brad Raffensperger, he realizes that even if Donald Trump could get the votes that Trump wants, Donald Trump would not go back to the whites unless two Democratic secretaries of state got theirs Cancel results.” House.
“And that meant that there wasn’t a single actor, as was the case in Florida in 2000, who could actually change the election results.”
That could be different this time if Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris wins by a narrow margin, perhaps with just one state’s Electoral College votes, he said.
Accepting the results
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research published a Opinion poll As of Monday, 86% of registered voters said whoever loses the presidential election should accept the results, although only 33% expect Trump to concede if he doesn’t get the votes needed to win the Electoral College.
About 77% of respondents expected Harris would accept the results if she lost the presidential race.
Fear of Post-election violence was fairly high among registered voters surveyed: 76% said they were extremely or somewhat concerned about violent attempts to overturn the election results.
82 percent said they were at least somewhat concerned about “increased political violence against political figures or election officials.”
Voters are also concerned about foreign interference in elections: 78% of registered voters surveyed said they were extremely or somewhat concerned that it would “influence Americans’ opinions of political candidates.”
Issue One’s National Council on Election Integrity co-chairs — former U.S. Reps. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., Donna Edwards, D-Md., Tim Roemer, D-Ind. and Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. – published a written statement on Monday a imitation video produced by Russian actors on ballots in Pennsylvania. The statement also criticized a Republican congressman from Maryland who said North Carolina should simply give Trump its electoral college votes.
“Foreign adversaries are seeking to influence U.S. elections by sowing division and spreading false information to undermine trust in our system of self-government,” the co-chairs wrote. “Furthermore, people who want to win at all costs continue to spread false claims about election integrity and can cause chaos, delay results and call into question the outcome of our fair electoral process.”
The four wrote that suggestions from Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, chairman of the far-right U.S. House Freedom Caucus, that North Carolina should simply give its 15 Electoral College votes to Trump “before the votes are counted are dangerous and against the rule of law.” violated”.
“By rejecting the so-called theory of independent state legislatures in Moore v. Harper, the Supreme Court affirmed that state legislatures have no authority to substitute a slate of electors for the will of the people,” they wrote.
Issue One describes itself as a “bipartisan” organization committed to “uniting Republicans, Democrats and independents in the movement to repair our broken political system and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.”
Republican backlash to insults in Puerto Rico at Trump rally
Democrats and Republicans united somewhat Monday to express their anger over it A comedian’s comments about Puerto Rico during a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Tony Hinchcliffe, speaking in the hours before Trump’s remarks, called Puerto Rico “currently a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean.”
Hinchcliffe later said that Latinos “love having babies” and made other lewd comments.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Nanette Diaz Barragán, D-Calif., released a statement Monday calling the comments shameful and risky.
“This type of language promotes prejudice, promotes violence and undermines the values of unity and respect on which our country is built,” Barragán wrote. “It is deeply disturbing to see Republican leaders celebrating this rhetoric instead of promoting unity and truth.”
Vice President Harris told reporters traveling with her that the comedian’s comments were one reason voters were “exhausted” and “ready to turn the tide on Trump.”
“It is absolutely something that serves to further fuel the attempt to divide our country,” Harris said.
Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott posted on social media that the comedian’s comments about Puerto Rico were “not funny and not true.”
“Puerto Ricans are great people and great Americans! I’ve been to the island many times. It’s a beautiful place. Everyone should come over!” Scott wrote. “I will always do everything I can to help every Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”
Florida Republican Rep. Carlos A. Giménez posted on social media that the comedian’s comments were “completely classless and tasteless.”
“Puerto Rico is the crown jewel of the Caribbean and home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know,” Giménez wrote. “@TonyHinchcliffe is clearly not funny and definitely does not reflect my values or those of the Republican Party.”
Puerto Rico’s U.S. House representative Jenniffer González-Colón, a Republican, called the comedian’s comments “despicable, misguided and repugnant.”
“What he said is not funny; Just as his comments were rejected by the audience, they should be rejected by everyone!” González-Colón wrote. “There should be no place for such vile and racist statements. They do not represent the values of the Republican Party.”
Ariana Figueroa contributed to this report.
