Rain Perry

Hey there!

Quick update, since several people have asked about whether the GOP could just refuse to certify the 2024 election. I was going to wait and address this next week. But things are moving so fast, who knows what we'll be needing to talk about next week?

This issue came to the forefront this week for two reasons: an article in Rolling Stone and a piece on the Rachel Maddow Show. The gist of the worry is summed up in this, from the Rolling Stone piece:

"If local election officials nationwide decide en masse to refuse to certify election results this year, it could slow the certification of statewide tallies crucial to determining the next president — and create chaos."

What if the election is sent to the Supreme Court? Will we have a repeat of Bush v. Gore?

I get it. In 2020 I worked as an official Poll Monitor in Phoenix. I put up a post on Twitter and on Facebook (and was retweeted by Mandy Patinkin!) about how smooth it was -- not just in Maricopa County, but all across the state. I had access to the phone app where poll monitors could report voting issues. There were nearly none.

And then MAGA Republicans freaked out, wreaking havoc at the Maricopa County elections office and delaying the certification. They lost in court. In fact, in the wake of the 2020 election, Trump and allies filed sixty lawsuits challenging election results across the country, and lost all of them.

They're going to do it again this time. Here's what that will likely look like.

So what can be done? First of all: take a deep breath. In the words of an author I follow:

For sure, the election of 2024 will be a battle. But we must remain focused and optimistic. So here's some...

Hope

The DNC is fully aware of the GOP's plans, and is investing millions in vote protection. They are coordinating with Marc Elias and others who have been successfully beating back election-related lawsuits for years now. 

There are many voting rights organizations working tirelessly across the country, from Open Society to the New Georgia Project to Powered by People to the League of Women Voters.

The Harris campaign is on fire, with record numbers of donations and volunteer signups.

The GOP talks big about volunteer recruitment plans, but their infrastructure and ground game are in terrible shape.

Donald Trump does not have the powers of the Presidency during this election.

Please read today's post by Robert Hubbell. (Scroll down past the part about Trump's horrendous appearance in front of the NABJ yesterday.) It will make you feel better.

Bottom line:

"We have strong remedies; we are not defenseless; merely because some Republican officials are posting election denialist statements on their social media pages does not mean there is a conspiracy; and it certainly does not mean that they will succeed in frustrating the will of the people as expressed in accordance with the Constitution."

Our Strategy

So what can we do? IMHO, five things:

1. Check your voter registration and make sure all your friends do too.
2. Donate to voting rights organizations.
3. Be on the ground where elections happen; volunteer to work as a poll worker or poll monitor. It's vital that people who care about democracy serve in those rooms. That's what I'm doing this time.
4. Don't concede. Just because they plan to bully this election doesn't mean we are going to let them do it.
5. Finally, do everything you can to WIN BIG. That's the very best protection against efforts to mess with elections.

Thank you for being on this list! Please feel free to pass this along. If you received this email from someone else and would like to get your own semi-weekly through the election in November, click here and select "I want to join Rain in political work."

Thanks!

xo,

R