The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 22, 2024
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
The election denier group True the Vote is one of the loudest and most aggressive in casting doubt on the 2020 election. In Georgia, its claims of fraudulent absentee ballots being deposited in drop boxes was used in a documentary, parroted by former President Donald Trump and his allies, and led to the banning of drop boxes in several states. In a court filing this week, True the Vote said it had no such evidence.
According to the Associated Press, the group filed a complaint with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in 2021, saying it had, quote, “a detailed account of coordinated efforts to collect and deposit ballots in drop boxes across metro Atlanta.”
The Georgia Board of Elections repeatedly requested the evidence from the Texas-based group, to no avail. The Board of Elections asked a superior court judge to subpoena the information, resulting in a court filing last week obtained by the Atlanta Journal Constitution. In response to the subpoena, the group said, QUOTE, “True the Vote has no such documents in its possession, custody or control.”
Such claims fueled the now-debunked documentary, 2000 Mules, and drove state legislatures to limit or eliminate drop boxes. The alleged “ballot mules” shown were legitimate voters or family members delivering ballots. Twelve states have since banned drop boxes, and many others have made absentee voting more difficult.
We have more reporting linked at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
Georgia Recorder – Georgia election board dismisses claims of ‘ballot harvesting’ in 2020 election
USA Today – Fact check: Georgia investigation into alleged ballot harvesting is not evidence of election fraud
American Democracy Minute – Defamation Lawsuit Against Producers of Debunked Drop Box Fraud Film “2000 Mules” Can Proceed in Georgia Court Ruling
Kansas Reflector – States target ballot drop boxes in fight over voting rights
Movement Advancement Project – State Policies on Drop Boxes
Associated Press – Election officials sue conservative voting group over refusal to produce ballot-harvesting evidence
Associated Press – Conservative group tells judge it has no evidence to back its claims of Georgia ballot stuffing
PBS NewsHour – How 2020 election denialism became a litmus test for the GOP
Groups Taking Action:
Fair Fight Action, All Voting is Local Georgia, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Showing Up for Racial Justice, ACLU Georgia
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#Democracy #DemocracyNews #ElectionDeniers #Georgia #ProtectElections