Tonight’s Democratic Party Iowa Caucuses mark the start of the 2020 Presidential Election, and it got my mind to thinking. Voter turnout in November 2020 will be epic. Trump hate will drive out the left in heretofore untold numbers. And on the other hand, President Trump’s supporters will come out in droves. Energy and enthusiasm from both ends of the political spectrum will be historic. People in the middle, people who don’t count themselves as members of the Republican nor the Democratic parties, and who don’t consider themselves far right nor far left, the independents and the moderates in the middle will come out, too. Some because the like or dislike the current policies and state of our nation, others to express their displeasure at boorish, braggadocious, and insufferable President Trump, or maybe to say enough’s enough to Democrats who have made 2017-2020 a referendum on Trump: all Trump, nothing but Trump 24 x 7, a Trump they see and portray as an enemy to everyone, our government institutions, and our way of life. Yep, they’re coming out to vote in November. Today, I’d like to offer some advice to my party, the GOP about voter fraud, voter ID, ballot harvesting, and the ultimate end game, voter turnout. First, a couple of instructive stories.
In the 60’s or 70’s, not sure exactly what year it was, but when competitive bass fishing for money was just getting going, the fishermen fished with what was their normal equipment in the day. Jon boats with 15 and 25 hp engines were the norm. And then for one tournament, a guy named Bill Dance showed up with something like a 60 or 75 horsepower motor on his boat. As all the boats left the dock, Bill sped off ahead of everyone else, soon out of sight. Their small motors had no prayer of keeping up with Bill. Back at the dock for weigh-in, Bill kicked their asses. None of them knew where he’d fished. He got to parts of the lake they couldn’t possibly have fished and made the weigh in. Guess what happened soon after that? Everyone had bigger and bigger engines. The slower boats didn’t piss and moan about Bill, they upped their own horsepower to meet the challenge. Nowadays 250 hp engines are commonplace.
There’s a guy I follow on Twitter whose name is @ScottPresler. He goes by #ThePersistence, and has a web address called ScottPresler.org. Scott is a young guy and has really captivated a lot of attention. He’s doing what I consider to be great things, regardless of party affiliation. Scott goes from city to city and teaches local GOP grassroots organizations and their volunteers how to get out the vote. He brings a young, fresh perspective and by all reports he is remarkably effective. Rather than to allow the GOP to be victims of our own patterns and habits, Scott is out pounding the pavement to help us remain competitive. It is the second thing that Scott does that has me most impressed. As Scott travels about, he not only gives talks and assists with voter registration and voter turnout strategies, he also organizes cleanups in inner cities, establishing the GOP in inner cities as a force for good. His cleanups can result in tons of rubbish cleaned up in some terribly overlooked neighborhoods. His cleanup in Baltimore this past September resulted in 50 tons, yes 50 tons of rubbish cleaned up and hauled away. He makes a difference for the better, and shows by his actions the best side of conservatism. He’s also active and effective on social media, and thus is an excellent ambassador for conservatism and the GOP.
When it comes to voter fraud, what can we do? Off the top of my head, I can think of two things: one, if we see something, say something. It’s that simple. If someone tries to impede, dissuade, frighten, or in any way hinder you or someone you know, or if you see someone doing anything like that, report it. Do the best you can to take pictures, remember names, specifics of time and location, and if you report it and are not satisfied with how your report was handled, report whoever it was you reported it to. This applies to registration, early voting, absentee balloting, and on Election Day itself. Secondly, volunteer to help your local Election Board or the local Republican Party where you live and vote. Silence, in the face of voter fraud is NOT golden. And I fear there will be massive voter fraud perpetrated in many different cities, towns, counties, and states in 2020.
I also want to mention voter ID requirements. I strongly believe requiring voter ID is an essential part of any anti voter fraud effort. But time and again courts have ruled it to be a form of voter suppression. I disagree strongly that my motives or efforts would ever align with that kind of an effort, but I suppose there is somebody out there who sees voter ID in that light. The kind of voter ID law I advocate will include a sweeping effort at ensuring every voter is able to vote, and every voter is well aware and prepared to meet the requirement. This means putting the time, effort, and resources ($$) needed to issue any person unfortunate enough to not have some form of acceptable government ID photo identification AND publicizing both the requirement and the means to obtain ID well enough and far enough in advance to actually increase voter turnout as a byproduct of the initiative. If we are really serious about stopping that type of voter fraud, and if we did it the right way, it could be done in a way to make it the exact opposite of suppression. Young, energetic minds like that of Scott Presler can handle this type of thing better than many my age and older can. We ought to harness those who can and will and make it happen. Everyone who has a legal right to vote ought to have their one vote counted. That’s everyone, regardless of party affiliation, age, race, religion, or even employment and or sexual preference.
A concern I hear a lot about the ballot harvesting that was done in California last year. How it was done seemed really underhanded to me. After votes were counted, Democrats in CA looked at Congressional Districts where the Democratic Party candidate was behind, then they looked at the vote tallies. So let’s say GOP candidate “A” had 10500 votes, and Democratic Party candidate “B” had 10,100 votes. They were legally able to beat the bushes and canvass for Democrats who had not voted and then in the days and weeks AFTER the polls closed, visit voters and obtain ballots, which were then added to the totals, and viola! They flipped those seats after Election Day results were tallied and reported. Suddenly all those candidate “B” totals exceeded this of candidate “A”, and the seat went blue. Well, this seems like total bullshit to me. Do I want every voter to vote? Yes, and emphatic, YES! But I want them to vote before or on Election Day. Ballot harvesting afterward? It seems like cheating to me. I bet those guys in the 15 hp boats thought Bill Dance was cheating in those fishing tournaments I told you about, too. Did they complain to B.A.S.S., the organization that ran and sanctioned that tournament? Nope. They upped their games and upped their horsepower and leveled the playing field by giving Bill a taste of his own medicine. Two can play at the ballot harvesting game. If the GOP sits by idly in 2020 and lets 2018 repeat itself, shame on the GOP. GOP, get your shit together! Up your game!
And the last thing I want to touch on is voter turnout. I've already said that I think it’ll be epic, incredible, maybe historic even. And it is up to us to make damned sure it’s so. Not only do we need to make sure we vote. For everyone, I encourage you if your state has it, to vote as early as you can. But you also need to get your friends and family, elderly neighbors, anyone in your social circle who might either be inclined to sit this one out, or who might have difficulty getting themselves to the polls. You can help with that, can’t you? You can offer a ride, or to stay with their cats while they vote, or watch the kids, whatever. And you can get involved with your local, state, or the national GOP office and volunteer. Make calls. Stuff envelopes. Knock on doors even. You can help. If you live where ballot harvesting is legal, call today, encourage your local GOP to have a plan, offer to help. There is no reason on earth we can’t reap what they have sown. But we’ve got to be engaged, involved, committed, and energized. Are you? If you are, great! If you’re not, why not? Get your ass in gear!
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