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A coalition of 12 governors, including Govs. Jay Inslee (WA), Kate Brown (OR), Gavin Newsom (CA), Phil Murphy (NJ), Gretchen Whitmer (MI), Tony Evers (WI), Tim Walz (MN), Ralph Northam (VA), John Carney (DE), Steve Sisolak (NV), Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM), and J.B. Pritzker (IL) released a joint statement today on recent threats to the democratic process and reports of efforts to circumvent the election results.
“We do not take for granted the sacred right of every American to cast a vote, and to have that vote counted, in the presidential election held every four years. It is a right that is foundational to our democracy and essential to the continuation of our constitutional system of government — something to be cherished, revered and defended by elected leaders at all levels.
“Any efforts to throw out ballots or refuse a peaceful transfer of power are nothing less than an assault on American democracy. There is absolutely no excuse for promoting the intimidation or harassment of voters. These are all blatant attempts to deny our constituents the right to have their voices heard, as guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution, and to know the will of the people will be carried out.
“As governors, it is our solemn duty to protect the people of our states. Today, we affirm that all votes cast in the upcoming election will be counted and that democracy will be delivered in this election. That means all valid ballots cast in accordance with state and local laws must be counted, and that all states must properly appoint electors in accordance with the vote. We will not allow anyone to willfully corrupt the democratic process by delegitimizing the outcome or appointing fraudulent electors against the will of the voters.
“Our nation has held presidential elections and upheld the results throughout our history, even in times of great peril. We did it during the Civil War and both World Wars, and we can do it during a pandemic.
“And if the outcome of this election means the end of a presidency, he must leave office — period.
“We recognize that democratically held elections are not an exercise in controlling power. By its very nature, democracy is an exercise in determining and honoring out the collective will of the American people, regardless of the outcome. Disenfranchising voters in order to retain power strikes at the very heart of this promise. We call on elected leaders at all levels, from both parties, to speak out loudly against such efforts in the weeks ahead.”
* NBC News…
Trump campaign spokesperson Thea McDonald accused Democrats of “working to shred election integrity rules across the country to stack the deck for their lackluster candidate.” Republicans, she said, “are aiming for an election with results all Americans can trust.”
Take two or three very deep breaths before commenting, please. Deep, deep breaths. Thanks.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 10:45 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
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I agree with the governors and appreciate their calm, rational approach to the current situation.
Comment by Cheryl44 Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 10:55 am
I give them credit for laying a marker but, with the exception of Michigan, these states aren’t in play.
I would encourage posters to watch “Kill Chain” for a chilling view of Georgia elections.
Comment by Jocko Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:08 am
Right message wrong messengers. This should come from the secretary of state or state boards of elections.
Comment by 1st Ward Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:13 am
I realize that campaign spokespeople have a hard job and I vacillate between feeling sorry for them and shaking in rage at their moronic quotes. I feel that Ms. McDonald, the Trump spokesman quoted above, must realize deep down how incredibly stupid that comment is.
Comment by Paddyrollingstone Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:17 am
There must be some Republican Governors who have concerns. Were none approached? Or are they all afraid?
Comment by Last Bull Moose Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:22 am
“This should come from the secretary of state or state boards of elections.” Would anyone outside of Illinois know who Jesse White is let alone care?
Comment by Skeptic Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:32 am
Republicans, she said, “are aiming for an election with results all Americans can trust.”
“Vote twice.”
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:35 am
Hyperbole from both sides is out of hand and has been for awhile. I feel it to be my responsibility as a citizen to vote my conscious and for who I believe is the better steward of the office. However, it is apparent to me the parties do not feel an obligation or responsibility to field candidates who deserve the opportunity to serve. The offices of government are for service, not self enrichment.
As for the letter from the Governors, it is useless and only serves to create an illusion that they are taking the moral high ground. There are no politicians in this fight that can claim the moral high ground. That hill is unoccupied and undefended.
Comment by FormerParatrooper Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:45 am
We’d live in a better country if we went ahead and abolished the electoral college.
I understand that some Americans live in a congressional district that is determined by their geographic location, but eliminating that for the national leadership would be a good idea. A very good idea in terms of having a government that is actually representative, and allowing the opposition party to stand for something besides — only — being opposed to things.
We should have fixed this before I was born. We need to fix this now.
===This should come from the secretary of state or state boards of elections. ===
Lots of folks have taken oaths to their State’s constitution.
Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:47 am
The journalist who’s long been on top of the voting/votes “issue” is Greg Palast. The go-to method in 2020 appears to be vote purging, notably in Georgia and Wisconsin. Florida too is involved in a huge struggle over voting by former felons, who were granted the vote by referendum in 2018, only to have it taken away again when the Gov denied it to all who haven’t paid court- and prison-related costs and fees - a sort of 2020 version of the poll tax.
This sends a laudable message, but (a) it may well just inflame the Pres even more against states like IL, OR, WA, and CA (at the least), and (b)we should anticipate most of the serious shenanigans will occur in purple states.
Comment by dbk Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:47 am
Forget the governors, I’d be much more concerned about state legislatures have to say. There’s been quite a bit of reporting recently that Republicans in Pennsylvania and other states are (allegedly) already planning on appointing partisan electoral college members directly - regardless of citizen vote totals - because they can allege “massive voter fraud” occurred without any proof. If something like that were to occur in Wisconsin, for example, it doesn’t matter what Tony Evers has to say about it.
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:50 am
I think we are missing the elephant in the room regarding the federal consent decree agreed on in 1982 that was allowed to expire in 2018. It was put in place specifically to address the actions of the RNC at polling places.
This will be the first presidential election in almost 40 years without that consent decree prohibiting certain acts.
It certainly puts the comment made by the Trump campaign into a bit more context;
—–
accused Democrats of “working to shred election integrity rules across the country to stack the deck for their lackluster candidate.”
—–
What they accuse in others, is what they will do.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:56 am
” There’s been quite a bit of reporting recently that Republicans in Pennsylvania and other states are (allegedly) already planning on appointing partisan electoral college members directly”
Conspiracy theory debunked….. I assume you believe American Frontline Doctors as well and hoarded tin foil at the start of the shutdown?
https://www.ydr.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/09/26/pa-republicans-say-they-wont-choose-electors/3538437001/
Yet the PA supreme court removed the Green Party from the ballot which received 50,000 votes in 2016 in a state that was decided by 40,000.
Comment by 1st Ward Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 12:09 pm
It’s a sad commentary that this statement even had to made.
Comment by Steve Rogers Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 12:22 pm
- Jocko - Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 11:08 am:
I give them credit for laying a marker but, with the exception of Michigan, these states aren’t in play. -
I thought WI was in play still. Thanks to your comment, I used the google machine and found that Biden is up anywhere from 5-10 points there. This instills more confidence in our neighbors to the north than I thought I should have.
Comment by Notorious RBG Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 2:26 pm
=We’d live in a better country if we went ahead and abolished the electoral college=
I am not sure how old your are, nor is it any of my business . . . . .I will, however, predict that you will go to the grave without the Electoral College being abolished. States without large metro areas will NEVER agree to this as it would be absurd on their part to even give this notion lip service.
Comment by This Just In Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 2:30 pm
== I assume you believe ==
See now you’ve gone and proven what happens to you when you assume things. Its why I inserted “reporting” and “(allegedly)”. If you want to take trump supporting state-level politicians who occupy safely gerrymandered republican seats at their word, be my guest. I personally prefer to do the opposite - I disbelieve anything that comes out of the mouths of Chicago dem state reps and senators, for example - but I’m a pessimist. Maybe you’re just a persistent optimist? Either way, I’d still argue that they hold more power on this question than do a handful of blue state dem governors.
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 2:47 pm
The electoral college acts like watertight compartments on a ship. One section may flood without sinking the ship.
We have little voter fraud in this country. That is in part due to regional imbalances. The amount of fraud needed to make California go Republican or North Dakota go Democratic would be massive. Fraud is most likely in the swing states. At least there we can watch for it.
If every vote counts, the value of a fraudulent vote goes way up. Fraud would creep in everywhere.
I would like to see each congressional district get one elector with two electors elected statewide. That could be done without a Constitutional Amendment. Or at least without an absolute block to the amendment by the legislators of the small states.
Comment by Last Bull Moose Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 3:08 pm
===a government that is actually representative===
We need to seriously increase the number of representatives in the House. That would wash out the disproportionate representation some low population states have, while making room for more moderate candidates and less impact from gerrymandering.
Comment by thechampaignlife Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 3:15 pm
It’s unfortunate that Republicans have been doing whatever they can to ensure people cannot vote this election. Another Republican just joined the chorus today - Gov Abbott of Texas - by limiting ballot drop off locations to one per county. Why? Because Republicans want to make it as absolutely difficult as possible to vote. That’s been their M.O. for years. And, yes, it’s a threat to our democracy.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Oct 1, 20 @ 4:16 pm