Georgia is ground zero for a rigged election — here’s how to defend democracy

This article Georgia is ground zero for a rigged election — here’s how to defend democracy was originally published by Waging Nonviolence.

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With the polls extremely close, Donald Trump and his allies are once again refusing to commit to accept the results of the election. Many fear that they will go a step further and intervene to overrule the will of the people, if Trump comes up short. However, they are unlikely to follow the playbook from 2020. 

Many of the tactics that were used to subvert the election at the national level four years ago are off the table now because Trump is not president. Therefore he doesn’t have the same access to — or influence over — the Justice Department, military or vice president. Also, some of the legal loopholes that were exploited during the last presidential election have since been closed. The Supreme Court ruled against the independent state legislature doctrine, which would give state legislatures unchecked power over federal elections. And Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform Act to prevent another violent and undemocratic attempt to overturn the election on Jan. 6. 

Therefore, experts now expect that the most serious threats to free and fair elections will happen at the state and county levels. The state of Georgia is seen as particularly vulnerable, because it is the only swing state where the Republican Party controls all the levers of power — the state House, Senate and governorship.

As a result, the law has been reshaped in the state to make it more difficult to vote and easier to challenge the election. In 2021, Georgia passed SB 202, the “Election Integrity Act,” which restricts early voting and ballot drop boxes, limits absentee ballots, and makes it illegal to offer food or water to people waiting in line to vote. It also gutted the secretary of state’s power on the state’s election board. This is seen as punishment for the current secretary of state, who refused to give in when Trump pressured him to “find 11,780 votes” to flip the state in 2020. 

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Last year, Republican legislators made the state one of the first to ban any outside charitable funding to help cover the costs of running elections. This will give officials less resources to do their work well and respond to challenges.  

What’s more, in August 2024, the state election board adopted a new rule that “requires local election board members to conduct an undefined ‘reasonable inquiry’ into any discrepancies before they can certify the election.” Then, the board voted in September to require that officials hand-count ballots, which experts have warned is “unreliable, costly and time-consuming.” 

What are the major election threats in Georgia? 

Now that the stage has been set to challenge the election, it’s critical that democracy defenders — who played a crucial role in stopping a Trump coup in 2020 — have a clear understanding of the likely ways Republicans will exploit the weak points in the system they have created. Here are three threats that the pro-democracy movement should have on its radar: 

1. Interference in election certification: The undermining of state and county election boards is the most clear and present danger. Nov. 11 is the deadline for counties to certify their votes in Georgia. Board officials are likely to launch investigations, refuse to certify the results and hand-count ballots to slow the process. There are 159 counties in the state, so it wouldn’t take much to throw a wrench in the process. In fact, one election board member refused to certify the Republican primary this year. And at least 20 county election officials in Georgia have “expressed beliefs in election lies or have refused to certify results.” 

If they successfully delay the results (or exclude certain votes, like absentee ballots) past the deadline to submit the state’s Electoral College votes, the presidential transition could be delayed or lead to a scenario where the Republican-controlled House hands the election to Trump.

2. Intimidation of vote counters and fraud claims: The Republican National Committee said it is recruiting an army of 100,000 poll watchers, who critics fear could disrupt voting or the counting of ballots. This could lead to pressure and chaos, as well as false claims of fraud, like there were in multiple states in 2020. This manufactured evidence could then be used by the election boards to refuse to certify the results. 

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3. Voter suppression: Trump and his supporters are already claiming that there are many non-citizens and ineligible voters on the rolls. This has led to efforts by the right to purge as many voters as possible in Georgia and around the country. By June, conservative activists had already filed “tens of thousands of baseless voter-eligibility claims” in Georgia. The state election board also passed a measure that requires more complex rules for absentee ballots. This signals that there may be challenges to these votes or claims of fraud to not certify results. 

What are the objectives of a pro-democracy movement?

As concerned citizens prepare to respond to these three election threats — as well as others that may emerge — they should look to history for inspiration. Many movements have successfully thwarted coups by following these key objectives: 

• Deny legitimacy to those attempting to subvert the election. Speed is of the essence. As Stephen Zunes’ research shows, historically the more quickly plotters are rejected and challenged, the quicker they are defeated.
• Demonstrate widespread support for democracy and a credible threat of nonviolent resistance to any effort to undermine the election. There needs to be little question on where the public stands on the issue, and plans for nonviolent action should be widely communicated.
• Disrupt business-as-usual for individuals and organizations subverting democracy through a wide range of methods — including protest, non-cooperation and intervention — until all votes are counted, the election results are respected and democracy is restored. 

What can ordinary people do to counter election threats?

Given that the election is only weeks away, it’s important to focus on what is possible within our capacity and limited time. Here are some specific actions that can be taken to prepare or respond to any attempt to subvert the election:

1. Identify unlikely allies across the political spectrum: Trump and his allies have worked to purge what they call RINOs, or Republicans in name only, who have not fallen in line or blocked his agenda. But some Republicans who defended the election in Georgia in 2020 are still in power, including Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the latter having faced continued legal and physical threats. Kemp has even asked the attorney general if it is possible to remove problematic election board members. 

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Other potential Republican allies could be mapped out — using a tool called the “spectrum of allies” — and either pressured to uphold democracy or supported for holding the line. This could involve a simple pledge for democracy, similar to the one created by Hold the Line, a guide created to help ensure that the 2020 presidential election was free and fair. It could also mean pushing elected officials to use all the legal tools at their disposal to remove county officials obstructing certification. (A new in-depth report by the nonpartisan government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, lays out these options state by state.)

2. Encourage or support all election and elected officials to protect democracy: The non-profit Protect Our Election has an email and call-in campaign to encourage election officials to do their jobs. If they feel that they are being closely watched and supported, it may limit defections or raise the personal cost on officials for breaking the law to undermine the integrity of the election. 

3. Identify the county board officials most likely to challenge or delay the count and target them with nonviolent action: CREW’s report details county officials in swing states, including Georgia, who have already refused to certify elections. Given that these officials are deeply ideological, what is most likely to reach or pressure them must be carefully considered. CREW lays out the legal tools and sanctions, including the ability of ordinary people to file lawsuits. 

What happened in Michigan’s Wayne County in 2020 is also instructive. When Republican officials refused to certify the election results, residents quickly mobilized. Hundreds attended a Zoom meeting for public comment, demanding that the will of the people be respected and focusing the national spotlight on the crisis. Within hours, the county board members reversed course and certified the vote. 

4. Respond to disruptive or threatening poll watchers: One option would be to rally at election boards where the count is happening to counter any threats against safe and fair elections. This does not mean emulating the violent, right-wing “Brooks Brothers riot,” which helped end the recount and hand the election to George W. Bush in 2000. Instead, any protests would need to be highly disciplined, making it difficult to portray them as threatening. They should be family affairs, more festive or positive in tone, and supportive of vote counters doing their job. If there is not the necessary training and discipline, these actions have real potential to backfire.  

5. Pressure courts to uphold democracy: Whether the attempts to interfere with the certification of the vote or the electoral college voting on Dec. 17 succeed will depend in part on the courts moving quickly to shoot down any illegitimate challenges. Under federal law, states must have an official election result by Dec. 11, six days before the electoral college meets. Therefore any problematic judges need to be quickly identified and pressured to rule before the deadline. This could involve people mobilizing at courthouses to draw attention to these judges and demand our democracy be respected. They need to know that all eyes are on them. 

6. Present a credible threat of disruption if the election is stolen. Organizing a “pledge of resistance” has been a powerful tool in the past in situations like this. A pledge can focus on ordinary people signing on to take action if certain red lines are crossed. It could also involve getting major institutions from key pillars of support to pledge action, such as threatening a general strike if the election is stolen. As Daniel Hunter explained, this happened during an attempted coup in Argentina in 1987, when civic organizations, the Catholic church, business groups and labor unions pledged to support the constitution and democracy.  

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7. Create a safe and positive environment on election day: Supporters of democracy may provide transportation or accompany voters who feel threatened to voting sites. They could offer free water or snacks to voters on private property near (but legally far enough away from) poll stations. They could also take a page from 2020, when there was an explosion of creativity across the country to set a more joyful tone to the day, including music, dancing, singing and block parties. 

8. Go beyond protest: Street actions at key locations will be a default response of those wanting to defend democracy, and mass action will be an important show of force. However, marches and rallies may face serious repression and risk backfiring if nonviolent discipline breaks down. 

Therefore, the movement should also consider methods of economic non-cooperation, like targeted boycotts and strikes. If serious economic costs can be put on the state, officials may feel pressured to uphold democracy. These methods have been key in many places that have thwarted attempted coups. For example, a nationwide strike was called in Mali, 10 million participated in a general strike in France, and all shops were shuttered in Venezuela to defend their democracies. Alternatively, a consumer strike — where people would refuse to buy holiday gifts — was floated in 2020. These methods could be used to pressure problematic politicians, or to push influential corporations to side with the movement.   

How can the movement prepare for success?

It is not enough to know what strategies and tactics might work to defend democracy. The movement also needs to have an analysis grounded in reality and develop the capacity to put its plans into action. That requires advanced preparation. In the case of Georgia, here are some possible next steps to take: 

• Map the key institutions/organizations that could influence elected officials if they take a clear stand for democracy, even if they are unlikely allies, to prepare for a pledge. This could include major players in the state, like Coca Cola or Delta, but it would also be wise to identify smaller entities that may be easier to pressure and less risk averse.
• Identify critical economic targets where nonviolent disruption could have an outsize impact. Then determine what it would take to slow or shut them down. One obvious example is Atlanta’s airport, which happens to be the busiest in the world.
• Train activists in the strategic importance of nonviolent discipline. This is critical, given the concern that violence at any protest could empower those pushing to steal the election. If there is doubt that resisters can refrain from violence, it may be wise to choose tactics that reduce the risk of repression.
• Build alliances to prepare for a major strike or boycott. To be successful, influential groups need to coordinate action, move quickly and use their combined reach to draw as many people into the campaign as possible. Unions and community groups should also develop strike funds before the election to better weather the personal impact of a strike. 

The window between now and Election Day is narrow, so there is no time to waste. The threats are clear, but so too are the ways a vigilant and mobilized population can defend against them. For the pro-democracy movement to be effective, preparation is the best defense. Taking meaningful and strategic action together is also the antidote to the debilitating fear and anxiety so many are feeling during this final harrowing stretch of the presidential campaign. 

This guide was published in partnership with the Albert Einstein Institution.

This article Georgia is ground zero for a rigged election — here’s how to defend democracy was originally published by Waging Nonviolence.

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Source: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/10/georgia-ground-zero-rigged-election-how-defend-democracy/