Millions of Americans will vote this fall ā€“ but six Republican justices might have the final say, in a Bush v Gore redux

Itā€™s frighteningly easy to imagine. Kamala Harris wins Georgia. The state elections board, under the sway of its newĀ Trump-alignedĀ commissioners, grinds the certification process toĀ a slow haltĀ to investigate unfounded fraud allegations, spurring the stateā€™s Republican legislature to select its own slate of electors.

Perhaps long lines in Philadelphia lead to the state supreme court holding polls open until everyone has a chance to vote. Before anyone knows the results, Republicans appeal to theĀ US supreme courtĀ using the ā€œindependent state legislatureā€ (ISL) theory, insisting that the state court overstepped its bounds and the late votes not be counted.

Or maybe an election evening fire at a vote counting center in Milwaukee disrupts balloting. The progressive majority on the state supreme court attempts to establish a new location, butĀ RepublicansĀ ask the US supreme court to shut it down.

Maybe that last example wasĀ inspired by HBOā€™s Succession. But in this crazy year, whoā€™s to say it couldnā€™t happen? The real concern is this: if you think a repeat of Bush v GoreĀ canā€™t happen this year, think again.


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  • Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Iā€™m actually more worried about threats of violence at polling places in swing states, especially in Democrat districts. Drop a smoke bomb and play sounds of gunfire and watch everybody scatter and stay away out of fear of violence. All it would take is that in one or two key polling places in swing states and watch this election shift right to Trump. And it wouldnā€™t take much. One of them early in the morning in Pennsylvania would have a chilling effect nationwide as word spreads.

    • sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip
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      2 months ago

      According to a recent FD Signifier video, they have already purged him and a whole ton of other people (cough probably black people cough) from voter rolls in Georgia, he said that hadnā€™t happened to him in nearly a decade, gotta re register, and of course they donā€™t tell you if youā€™ve been purged, that onus lies on you to figure out.

      Its already illegal to hand out water to people in line for polls.

      I would be entirely unsurprised if say I dunno maybe your scenario happensā€¦ or maybe they just call in a bunch of bomb threats to polling locations in blue areas, seems to be doing a good job of shutting down Ohio at the moment.

        • sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip
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          2 months ago

          And then right wing media and talking heads run with only that news and voila the election was rigged, against them.

          • bufalo1973@lemmy.ml
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            2 months ago

            If they lose, it wonā€™t matter the reason. ā€œThe elections were riggedā€. At least make it true for once.

    • CylonBunny@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      This is why we need as many people as possible to vote early and or by mail! My state, Texas, doesnā€™t allow mail-in voting, but voting early takes so much less time and itā€™s harder for any sort of shenanigans since it is so many more days.