Election integrity has been a major question of concern since 2020, and especially since the 2022 elections, which saw numerous lawsuits filed over illegal voting. Well, it is Groundhog Day, again. Election integrity is back in 2024, with concerns already rising from Republicans about potential voter fraud again. Many states have been blocked form cleaning their voter rolls by the Biden DOJ, or have just not cleaned them at all, leaving millions of illegal votes on the table.
In preparation for what is expected to be another chaotic election in 2024, Republicans are already filing lawsuits state-by-state to challenge potential losses. It has not pushed Democrats into a corner, where they are fear-mongering that Republicans will cause chaos after the election. They say it is a radical move, while Republicans say it is about protecting voter integrity.
Former Chair of the Harris County GOP Gary Polland says this is about the latter.
"This is about protecting voter integrity...it is designed to ensure that cheating does not occur, that is the goal," he says.
So far, Republicans are embroiled in 130 lawsuits ensuring votes are counted correctly, but also legally. Democrats meanwhile have just been beating the same drum, saying this is election interference, and basically that questioning the election results in any fashion is conspiracy theory. Oh, how quickly they forget Hillary Clinton and Democrats crying over the election results, and claiming the election was stolen from her.
One of the biggest election integrity battles has been in Arizona, where the state is battling to clean fraud from the rolls. Recently, the Biden DOJ stopped Alabama from cleaning their own roles. Because if you scrub out illegal votes, then how do you get to possibly cheat with them? If ever there was an argument for election interference, you think that would be it.
"This is why you purge the rolls every few years, and remove the dead people, ones who are illegal, and people who have moved," says Polland. "But anytime Republicans advocate for that, Democrats claim you are trying to suppress the vote."
These lawsuits, as mentioned, are not new. Harris County saw 20 of them filed, with only one making it to a revote. That was the case of Tami Pierce, a Republican candidate for criminal court judge, who lost to DeSean Jones by 449 votes. Their race included over 1,400 illegal votes.
But still, these lawsuits are batting 1-for-20 at the plate, good for a .050 batting average. But there is a reason for that.
"They are rarely successful because judiciaries are reluctant to go in, and try to address or try to correct elections," he says.
Polland adds that depending on the margin of victory, these lawsuits might not matter in the end.
We are inching toward that end, with just two weeks until the election. Whatever way the wind blows, we are certain to be on a chaotic ride. Fasten the seatbelt, and let the chips fall where they may.