Midterm elections in the USA – Do election deniers threaten US democracy? – News


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In many places in the USA, so-called “election deniers” – in German election deniers – are up for election. According to experts, if they were elected, it could be dangerous for US democracy.

US democracy is in danger, threatened by former President Donald Trump and his supporters. That’s what US President Joe Biden said in a recent speech. In the individual states, Trump’s supporters are trying to undermine democracy.

In fact, in many places there are so-called “election deniers” to choose from: Republican candidates who claim without evidence that Trump only lost his 2020 election because the opposition cheated. So far there is no solid evidence of electoral fraud.

Trump has made 2020 election denial a core element of what it means to be a loyal Republican.

Trump has not disappeared from the scene – and Trumpism and the election lies have become even more powerful since 2020. That says Rick Hasen, an expert on voting rights at the University of California. “Trump has made denying the 2020 election a core element of what it means to be a loyal Republican,” Hasen said.

If the “election deniers” prevail in the midterm elections in two months, they will soon occupy key positions in important states. Experts warn that this is extremely dangerous for democracy, especially with a view to the next presidential election in 2024.

How “election deniers” could threaten democracy


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Although a presidential election in the USA takes place nationwide, it is organized by the individual states – according to their own electoral laws.

It is no coincidence that Donald Trump put pressure on secretaries of state, parliamentarians or governors – they are the key levers of democracy. 2020 they didn’t give in to the pressure – refusing, for example, to raise thousands of votes for Trump out of nowhere.

2024 That could be different: It is conceivable that those candidates who are supported by Trump and who support his tale of the stolen election will give in to pressure – which could throw the presidential election into chaos, says Tammy Patrick. She was formerly a senior election official in Arizona.

Election deniers are available in many places. Even in hard-fought states such as Arizona, Michigan or Pennsylvania, where Joe Biden won the presidential election by a razor-thin margin.

In addition to Republican Mark Finchem, Keri Lake is also running in the congressional elections in Arizona – the Republican wants to become governor, i.e. head of government. Both spread the myth of the stolen election.

An example: Mark Fichem


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“We know it and you know it: Donald Trump won.” That’s what Mark Finchem called out to a crowd of Trump supporters. Finchem, a Republican, is on the far right. In the state of Arizona he is the Republican candidate for the office of “Secretary of State”, a kind of Secretary of the Interior.

He and many others won the intra-party primary despite – or because of – they claiming massive voter fraud occurred in 2020. That’s extremely worrying, says Hasen.

Secretaries of State are often the highest electoral officials, responsible for ensuring that elections run smoothly and that votes are counted correctly. The fact that figures like Mark Finchem might soon take on these tasks is a danger, says Hasen.

“Even if the election deniers do their job correctly, they won’t be trusted on the left.” This leads to an increasing loss of trust on all sides. However, democracies depend on nationals trusting the election results. “I never thought that the United States could ever find itself in this precarious situation,” says Hasen.

So Arizona may soon have two election deniers in high office – and the state legislature will probably remain under Republican control. “The safeguarding mechanisms of democracy would be almost completely undermined – only the courts would remain,” says Tammy Patrick, who is also committed to the preservation of democracy at the Democracy Fund.

End of US Democracy?

According to Patrick, it is quite possible that the next election will be decided there. She urges the people to go vote this November while they are still in power. “Because if these candidates are elected and they act in office the way they talk on the campaign trail, that puts the United States in an unprecedented situation,” Patrick continued.

Or to put it another way: The Election Deniers would have to be defeated at the ballot box this November. After that it might be too late for US democracy.

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