This doomsday hysteria over voter suppression laws has got to stop
The republicans know darn well that their voter suppression laws are unlikely to hold up in court. Marc Elias, who won all those 2020 election cases against the Republicans, is already on the case – and he’s famous for only being willing to take cases he thinks he can win. The republicans are passing these half baked, poorly written, and doomed laws for two reasons, and it’s important that you’re aware of them.
First, and most important to them, they’re trying to make Trump feel better about his ugly loss. It’s why these laws are focused on how people voted in a pandemic in 2020, not how they’re likely to vote in 2022. They’re just trying to keep Trump from getting angry and lashing out at them on his way down.
Second, even though these laws will be largely struck down (and HR1 will nullify them anyway), the republicans are hoping to convince would-be democratic voters that 2022 is magically rigged against them and that their vote won’t count, so they won’t bother even trying to vote.
History shows that the groups being bullied the hardest about voting, tend to be the most determined to find a way to vote. But the danger is that the media – and a few of you – are yelling nonstop doomsday hysteria about these laws. You may not realize it, but you’re essentially telling your side not to bother voting. So if you’re doing that, please stop it! This is a highly winnable battle that you should fight with the intention of winning, not with the presumption that you’re going to lose.
And yes, HR1 will become law. Even the holdout Senate Democrats need it to pass in order to have a fair shot at getting themselves reelected. So they’ll pass it, by whatever means needed, no matter their current protestations. It’s simply how these things work. Stay on them about it.
Finally, keep in mind there is no major election tomorrow, or next week, or next month. The media is using doomsday hysteria to try to make you believe that all hope is lost unless these voter suppression laws are overturned this second, so that you’ll stay glued to your television. But that’s nonsense. Passing HR 1 will take time, but we clearly have time. Last we checked, the midterms are in November 2022, not June 2021.
