This is How Democracies Die

[angrychair]

An election free from strong evidence of systemic fraud is not alone sufficient for election confidence. Also important is the assurance that fraud will not go undetected.

That was part of the dissenting opinion of Justice Clarence Thomas in the two recent cases involving Pennsylvania. It should be noted that while he wrote his own dissenting opinion he was joined by Justices Alito, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh in dissenting against Pennsylvania's election results. Justice Barrett was not eligible to give an opinion. I personally think if Barrett could have ruled that these cases would have turned out differently.

What is disturbing is that the dissenting opinions attack the ability of states to run their own elections independent of federal control.
Thomas's opinion directly attacks mail-in voting and states that its not enough to be concerned about what election fraud has been proven but even the possibility of voter fraud.
The implications are huge because while it is a direct attack on mail-in voting it also an argument in support of state legislatures or even federal courts to control the outcome of an election not just based on actual fraud but even the suspension of fraud. That is how democracies die. This is a clear move to disenfranchise the rights of people to vote and our ability to choose our own government.

Link - long but worth the read
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/02/clarence-thomas-voter-fraud-trump-pennsylvania.html

[Caliman73]

1. Except when it comes to Black people voting ... right?

Those same idiot justices gutted the Voting Rights Act, which allowed states to disenfranchise Black voters. There is no internal consistency. They just do what they think will advantage the dwindling conservative voter base.

[HariSeldon]

2. Ok, then let's have federal legal accountability for the head state-level official

(Of course, that's more regulation, to which Republicans won't agree.)

In most states, this is the state's Secretary of State. I believe there is enough authority under the 14th and 15th Amendments for Congress to pass a law making it a federal felony for the top election official of a state to implement any election process that A) allows any significant, undetectable voting fraud, or B) was not analyzed fairly before implementation as being race-neutral in reduction of voting eligibility and opportunity. C'mon, Republicans -- you're the party of personal responsibility, right?