The Republican Party Is Terrified of Voters
At the state and national levels, the party’s strategy is consistent: Make it hard to vote.
Striking fear in the hearts of Wisconsin Republicans.
Photographer: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFPThe Republican Party is currently engaged in the most sweeping vote suppression campaign since Jim Crow. It’s a broad war on voting, encompassing legislation in state capitols, lawsuits in the courts, propaganda at the highest levels of the party and federal government, and a threat of thugs in the streets.
No battle is too embarrassing. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott pulled a last-minute stunt that left even the state’s largest counties with a single ballot drop-off location. In Wisconsin, Republicans are seeking to prevent professional athletes and team mascots — including the Milwaukee Brewers’ “Racing Sausages” — from appearing at sports venues that are scheduled to be used as polling sites. The logic is that attractions, such as sports stars, will “encourage people to come out to vote,” argued the state party chairman.