Adrienne Lawrence Legal analyst, law professor & award-winning author
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Opinion

For Left to preserve democracy it can no longer play defense

Adrienne Lawrence Legal analyst, law professor & award-winning author
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The Georgia State Election Board recently implemented a controversial requirement for counties to conduct hand counts of ballots cast on Election Day. In response, Democrats have filed a lawsuit against the board, arguing that the rule change, which has faced bipartisan opposition, is unlawful and could lead to “chaos” in the critical battleground state.

In the video above, Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence suggests that Democrats should take a page from the far-right handbook, be more assertive, and do whatever necessary to safeguard our democracy.


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The following is an excerpt from the above video:

These MAGA-supporting individuals on state boards of election aren’t in these positions to compromise or to find a win-win solution for all. It’s winner-take-all for them.

A recent Pew Research Study, for instance, revealed that Trump supporters stand out in their opposition to compromise. Specifically, some 63% of those backing Trump say that it’s more important that Trump focus on pushing hard for policies that Republican voters want, rather than to find a middle ground, even if it means that fewer things actually get done. These individuals are proactive in their self-interest, and we must be, too.

I am tired of the Left being the party prioritizing compromise, playing wait and see. We have to be the party of prioritizing true democracy, pursuing act and seize, because when we pursue true democracy, that is, every voice gets a vote, we serve We The People’s interests. We fulfill the U.S. promise.

For the past three years, Trump and Co. [sic] have been repeating the Big Lie and pushing narratives that undermine our electoral processes as they infiltrate local and state government right in front of our very eyes, putting us on the defense when we should have been doing the same.

Since the 2020 presidential election, Georgia has been at the center of controversy, from Donald Trump’s efforts to get the Secretary of State to find a few 1000 extra votes to the historic prosecution of Trump and CO for election interference. All eyes remain on the swing state now, as its Board of Elections are making headlines, Georgia Democrats just filed a suit in an effort to stop three Maga members of the state board of elections from continuing their campaign to ensure Trump wins in November. In Short, these three board members use their power to pass new election rules that would undeniably delay certification of the 2024 presidential election, including a rule that requires three election workers at every polling place to hand count ballots even after they’ve been counted by ballot scanners. Now these rules are ridiculous, but these undemocratic efforts to ensure Trump wins are not unique. The far right has spent the last three years installing Maga supporters in positions of power everywhere to preemptively hijack the 2024 presidential election, and as these individuals execute on their plans, it’s evident that Democrats spent three years sitting on their hands when it comes to protecting our democracy, the left must invest in proactive, rather than reactive strategies. Within the last 20 months, North Carolina’s state board of elections removed 747,000 people from its list of registered voters. Oklahoma just purged 453,000 the Republican National Committee has at least three dozen lawsuits pending in 19 states. All those lawsuits are focused on purging voter rolls or also changing voting rules to block the path to the ballot box. Why in the wake of January 6, didn’t members of the left bolster election boards and local leadership with invested Democrats? Did we somehow think the attack on the US Capitol was the end of the attack on our democracy? It’s as if the Democrats have been too focused on maintaining decorum and playing by the rules that they failed to recognize that the rules have changed. Democrats can no longer sit back and play defense. It’s necessary that they be proactive to preserve our democracy, especially when GOP s Maga arm makes abundantly clear that they’re willing to do whatever is necessary to destroy our democracy, including infiltrating all levels of government. These Maga supporting individuals on state boards of election aren’t in these positions to compromise or to find a win. Win. Solution for all, it’s winner. Take all for them, a recent Pew Research Study, for instance, revealed that Trump supporters stand out in their opposition to compromise. Specifically, some 63% of those backing Trump say that it’s more important that Trump focus on pushing hard for policies that Republican voters want, rather than to find a middle ground, even if it means that fewer things actually get done. These individuals are proactive in their self interest, and we must be too. I am tired of the left being the party prioritizing compromise, playing wait and see. We have to be the party of prioritizing true democracy, pursuing act and seize because when we pursue true democracy, that is every voice gets a vote. We serve. We the people’s interests. We fulfill the US promise. For the past three years, Trump and CO have been repeating the big lie and pushing narratives that undermine our electoral processes as they infiltrate local and state government right in front of our very eyes, putting us on the defense when we should have been doing the same. If the left wants to preserve what’s left of our democracy, the Democratic Party will have to take a page out of the GOP playbook and start playing to win the.

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