Trump's 'big lie' about voter fraud still lingers weeks after his departure from the White House

Trump's 'big lie' about voter fraud still lingers weeks after his departure from the White House
Donald Trump and Melania Trump in New Hampshire in February 2016, Marc Novell
America’s political divisions didn’t start with Trump’s presidency — but he made them considerably worse: polls
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The Democratic Party managed to prevail in the 2020 presidential election, but the massive voter fraud lies perpetrated by former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party will likely linger for years to come. However, now those lies are taking on a different form.

According to a new analysis published by CNN, Republican lawmakers have already waged war on voting systems with newly proposed bills to make it far more difficult for American citizens to vote, an initiative described as a "'direct attack on democracy' and on Black voters."

The reason behind this initiative? Trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud that he started circulating after he launched massive misinformation campaigns and voter fraud conspiracies following his election loss to President Joe Biden. Although he is no longer in the White House, Republican lawmakers are standing on that big lie with the hope of silencing voters.

With demographics changing in many states that are notably red, Republicans could be facing election nightmares in the upcoming primary and 2024 elections. So, Trump's big lie is a way to justify their push for changes in election laws.

"We need to make sure that our citizens have confidence in the elections, that they have the ability to vote," said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). "We want, obviously, everyone to vote. But we don't want anyone to cheat. And we want to make sure that we strike that appropriate balance."

Georgia voting rights advocacy groups are already pushing back against a bill that has been proposed in the southern state. Amid the presidential election, the state of Georgia became a key focal point that led to Biden's victory. It also became an area of contention for Republican lawmakers and voters who attempted to delegitimize the state's election results. Despite multiple recounts and election results being certified by the state's Republican elected officials, Trump and his allies repeatedly insisted the election was rigged.

The latest bill in Georgia underscores Republicans' latest strategy to "curb, restrict and more closely monitor voting practices like mail-in ballots that, along with distaste for now-former President Donald Trump and frustration with his policies, fueled record turnout in 2020."

A group, comprised of Georgia's Republican state legislators and state secretaries, has also unveiled their new commission to examine election laws. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, a group that maintains records of voting-related legislation has noted an influx in proposed bills across 33 states.

Those bills aim to:

  • cull early voting lists
  • placing a new registration obstacles in the way of voters
  • purge voter rolls
  • require voters to actively request an absentee ballot
  • tighten rules about witness signatures.

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