Every Election Counts
Local races make a big difference in the fight for our democracy.
Published: 6.2.23
Our democracy depends on thousands of county and city officials. In most places, they’re directly responsible for managing elections. When the election is over, local officials count the votes, certify their accuracy, and send their tallies to the state to be totaled up and certified as part of the full count.
So it really matters that these local officials believe in keeping our elections free, fair, and secure.
In Pennsylvania’s local elections this year, 18 candidates won primaries after spreading election misinformation, according to Votebeat. Some promoted wild conspiracy theories about stolen elections.
Election Denier behavior can translate into delays and chaos when county officials don’t do their jobs and certify accurate election results. It happened last year in at least five states. As ProPublica reported, some “admitted to refusing to certify for political reasons.”
In all those states, full election results were ultimately certified, sometimes after court orders forced the county officials to back down. But these were attempts to deny voters the right to choose for themselves and have their voices heard.
It costs taxpayer money to pursue legal action when county officials go rogue. But there’s a bigger danger: Delays and uncertainty allow disinformation to spread even further. That danger will grow exponentially next year, in the heat of a presidential election.
That’s why it’s important to vote in every election, and to make sure candidates support free and fair elections. Not just in Washington and in state capitals, but in our own backyards.
Sign up for the weekly newsletter here.
State of the States
Attorneys for Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers argued that a federal court should be permitted to consider sanctions against Sidney Powell and other lawyers who falsely alleged “massive election fraud” in a failed lawsuit. The governor is seeking sanctions to reimburse Wisconsin taxpayers for the cost of defending the lawsuit, which made unsupported claims about an international conspiracy to hack voting software and manipulate the election. It was quickly dismissed by a federal district court judge in December 2020. A post-election audit of voting equipment found no evidence of hacking or altered votes. States United and Stafford Rosenbaum LLP serve as counsel to Evers on the case before the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In The News
- Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have removed the state from ERIC, a bipartisan partnership that helps state officials maintain accurate voter rolls and prevent illegal voting. Texas may soon exit the program, which has been targeted by disinformation.
- Nevada made it a felony to threaten an election worker. A growing number of states are considering stronger protections for election workers and administrators, who face an unacceptable climate of harassment.
- The Justice Department special counsel is reportedly asking about the firing of a Trump administration cybersecurity official whose agency called the 2020 election “the most secure in American history.”
- A failed New Mexico political candidate was indicted on federal conspiracy and gun charges for shootings that targeted four elected officials. The case is a reminder that Election Denier behavior and disinformation can lead to danger for public servants.