Completely a third of US states have Election deniers in some of the highest positions supervising elections. That’s according to a new United States Center for United Democracy report highlighted by Mother Jones.
although many Election deniers lost their races. In the 2022 midterm elections, America, a nonpartisan organization, found that a total of 23 election deniers now hold statewide positions that give them influential oversight over elections in 17 different states. This includes seven governors, five secretaries of state and 11 attorneys general.
In the state of Alabama, election deniers occupy all three of those positions of power. Governor. Ivey Kay the left has claimed “stole” the 2020 elections of donald trumpand Attorney General Steve Marshall has refused to acknowledge that Joe Biden was “duly” elected. Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen has perpetuated false allegations of voter fraud and supported Marshall’s endorsement of a lawsuit filed by Texas alleging widespread voting irregularities in the 2020 election.
“From within the halls of government, these election deniers are using their powers to undermine free and fair elections,” the center wrote in its report.
Many of these election deniers used election lies, including false claims of widespread voter fraud, to raise funds for their campaigns. Nine states have withdrawn from the Electronic Registration Information Center, which was designed to ensure the accuracy of voter lists. Some election deniers have used their power to limit donations to fund election administration, while others have created or expanded units that prosecute election crimes, even though voter fraud is exceedingly rare. Others have denied the election in more subtle ways, including claims that the allegations against Donald Trump are some form of election interference.
The center defined election deniers as candidates who falsely claimed that Trump won in 2020 or attempted to undermine the integrity of the 2020 election, who refused to concede an election themselves or supported another candidate who refused to concede, who called or pressured election officials not to certify the results of the 2020 election or a subsequent race, or to spread election-related conspiracies and lies about the 2020 or subsequent election.
Voter suppression is also on the rise. Since 2020, thirteen states have taken steps to restrict voting rights around mail-in voting. Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa and Texas have passed laws prohibiting or limiting access to absentee ballot drop boxes.
Not only are election deniers in positions of power at the state level, but there are currently three election deniers running for president in 2024: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, radio host Larry Elder, and, of course, the denier-in-chief , Triumph.