There are a number of issues in the upcoming race from inflation to women's rights to immigration to climate change. And more.
And not a single one matters if we lose our democracy. Not one. Because if we transition to a kleptocracy anchored on a fundamentalist white Christian theocracy, then say goodbye to being able to have any impact on any issue. Step 1 is retain our right to have our vote counted and for the winner to take office. Everything is built on that.
Retaining this right requires focus. The key elections in the key states. First are the states. We don't care if Wyoming gets an election denier as Secretary of State & Governor - they're a slam dunk vote for the Republican slate. It's the purple states that matter. The key ones are:
- Arizona
- Georgia
- Michigan
- Nevada
- Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin
And of secondary importance are the following. The election is unlikely to be decided by these states, but they are purple trending blue and if they are captured by election deniers, then as they turn blue, the increasing votes from Democrats will be ignored, making those states an autocracy. They don't endanger the nation, but they do endanger the residents of these states.
- Florida
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- Texas
And what matters in these states? Very simply, the races for:
- Secretary of State
- Governor
- State Legislature
- Attorney General
- County Clerks
They first two are the ball game. If both are election deniers then the results in that state are, at a minimum, going to be the subject of a long vicious drawn out fight. And at worst, they will be handed to the Republican candidates regardless of the vote totals.
The state legislatures are also worrisome because they can make it very difficult for one group to vote and easy for the other. For example, the limit of one drop box per county is no issue in a rural county where the volume is so low, but is a gigantic slow down in an urban county. In addition, there is a case going to the Supreme Court that could well be decided that the legislature can pass any law with respect to voting that is not bound by the state constitution, is not to be reviewed by the state Supreme Court, and is not subject to the Governor's veto.
So it's critical to get a majority in at least one of the legislative houses. It should be easy in a purple state but the districts are so gerrymanded that it's damn close to impossible. But close to, not absolutely impossible. What it does require is a substantial focus on the legislative races.
Finally, having the Attorney General on the side of Democracy is very valuable if this goes to the courts. And having honest competent county clerks drastically reduces the number of places that can be problematic. (And fortunately the vast majority of county clerks, Republican and Democrat, are focused on doing a good job.)
Now here's the giant problem. Where's the biggest focus in the election? The U.S. Senate. What's #2? The U.S. House. Both very important. But unequivocally secondary to the above races. Even more frustrating, most competitive Senate races get more money than they need. And many House races also are overfunded. While the SoS and state legislative races are way underfunded. Same with volunteer time, way too much on the federal races, way too little on the state races.
The other key point in this is it is not elect the Democrat in every race. I mean, sure that would be great. But we need to focus on defeating the deniers and that means giving the Republicans that support democracy a pass. By all means vote the Democratic ticket, but put your effort in where it's our Democracy on the line. We have to focus.
The best examples of this is first Georgia where Kemp & Raffensperger showed that they will support the constitution and our democracy. Second is Pam Anderson in Colorado who is well qualified for the SoS position and has not embraced the big lie. If those three win and Democrats win the key offices in the other states - our Democracy is safe (at least for the next 2 years).
So when you donate, when you volunteer, when you do anything political - Secretary of State & Governor in the key states.
