January 6th Committee addresses Intimidation of Local Election Officials
As much press as the one person harassing a Supreme Court Judge has rightfully received— intimidation & harassment of public officials performing their duties has arrived at the local level. Such actions are against U.S. norms and law and are a direct threat to the rule of law. Not enough focus has been put on how much pressure was put on election workers to commit fraud during and after the 2020 election. That pressure was directed by those falsely accusing those very workers of fraud. Yes, truth has turned inside out lately.
The January 6th Committee’s Tuesday June 21, 2022 hearing focused on the direct intimidation of election workers. The condemnation of such activities (or ignoring of it) is of broad importance to ALL local governments, most of whom manage elections and have done so ethically for years using citizen volunteers to augment capacity of professional staff. Colorado has been among the most highly rated election processes. That fact may not deter those wishing to intimidate workers in coming elections.
Unfortunate efforts to actively overturn a lost election by the past President have extended to his supporters. It has enabled those who would destabilize our country. Harassing local and state election workers including showing up at their homes, leaving death threats to volunteers, staff and family members appears to be becoming normalized with one single election. Between the November election date and January 6th that intimidation has succeeded in some of the intended results. It did not change the election result, but it has caused many good people to think twice about doing work that requires thousands of citizens across the country each election to operate successfully.
Election fraud has been extremely rare. The norm of respect for this work, and for harassment of those carrying out official duties has now been damaged. It appears from the hearings that none of those individuals during the 2020 election succumbed to the intense pressure placed on them from the nation’s highest office to disobey their oaths and duties, but many of them have since quit. Below are some quotes from the hearing and coverage of the hearing. For any of you who think this is something in the past that is no longer important, you must think again. Local law enforcement and government agencies will have to be on heightened alert during what used to be routine public elections that for centuries have quietly anchored our Constitutionally an anchored our Democracy. Those who step forward to volunteer now, or to work in those roles will have to muster courage that was unimaginable for what used to be a few days of relatively boring public service operated often by elderly citizens looking to serve their country. We must look after them just as vigorously as we protect any Supreme Court Justice.
Some quotes from the Thursday June 21, 2022 January 6th Committee Hearings:
“Do you know how it feels to have the President of the United States target you? The President of the United States is supposed to represent every American, not to target one. But he targeted me.”
Ruby Freeman, Georgia Local Election Worker testifying to January 6th Committee, she was advised by the FBI to leave her home for two months because it wasn’t safe for her to be home
“When Ronald Reagan described it as a kind of miracle in the eyes of the world. He was exactly right. Other countries use violence to seize and hold power. But not in the United States, not in America…. And when he used the power of his Presidency to put the enormous pressure on state and local election officials, and his own vice president, it became downright dangerous. On January 6th, that pressure became deadly…. In city councils and town councils, school boards and election boards from the Congress to the Courts, dedicated public servants are leaving their posts due to death threats to them and their families. This is not who we are.”
Closing comments 6/21/2022, Representative, Adam Schiff
“No one who truly believes they are right threatens to hurt anyone for expressing a contrary view. The snarling threat of violence never comes from people wo calmly believe they are in the right. It is always the instant resort of the bully who feels the hot flush of shame rising in the cheeks and the cold rock of fear dropping in the pit of the stomach.”
Tom Nichols, contributing writer for NYT on “Secret Doubt”
Woodward and Bernstein point out that it was Barry Goldwater telling President Nixon directly that not only were there only a handful of Senators that would support him but that he did not support Nixon himself that led to the end of the Watergate Saga and Nixon’s staunch belief that he could fight through it. Right now there are only two Congressional Republicans, who are absorbing excessive pressure from their own party who are asking the hard questions and “standing up” to Trump. The majority of Republican Leadership are not so brave as to cross him or his supporters who are a large portion of the Republican Party, but many fewer than one would think given Congressional cowardice through two impeachments and now the January 6th hearing. Word is that “many” would like the committee or any of the pending court cases against Trump to “take him out” of the running in 2024. This is what passes for leadership. The next layer down, Brad Raffenspurger, Secretary of State in Georgia and former Court of Appeals Judge Michael Luttigs of the Republican Party are stepping forward. It will take more backbone from Republicans to step forward if we hope for the bullying, intimidation and death threats to local leaders to once again be unacceptable.
