It Was Never About Election Integrity
May 7, 2021
CBS News on Ohio Bill: “Seems Like Fixing a Problem That Doesn’t Exist, Doesn’t it?”
Watch HERE
Columbus, OH — This week, Ohio Republicans introduced radical anti-voter legislation that attacks Ohioans’ right to vote and goes even further than the widely-panned Georgia and Florida bills in rolling back voter rights.
GOP politicians in Columbus like to claim their bill is about protecting the integrity of Ohio’s elections, but if that were true, why would they stand idly by as their fellow Republicans make false statements that directly attack our election process? The answer: because this bill has everything to do with politics and nothing to do with election integrity.
If Republicans want to instill confidence in Ohio’s election system, they can start by condemning the elected officials and candidates in their own party making false claims about the 2020 election. Then, they can throw their bill in the trash and start all over, working with Democrats and voting rights activists on legislation that will increase voting access, protect voting rights and move our state forward.
Below is just a sampling of all of the false claims from Republican politicians in Ohio about the 2020 election that show just how unconcerned they are with election integrity:
“I think when we look back on this election, we’ll see in large part that it was stolen from President Trump,” said U.S. Senate candidate Josh Mandel.
“There’s no question and it’s been widely reported that there was widespread fraud and voter irregularities across this country. We need to fight for election integrity. If we don’t have faith in our election system, we don’t have a democracy,” said U.S. Senate candidate Jane Timken in an interview.
“I don’t know how you can ever convince me that President Trump didn’t actually win this thing based on all the things you see,” said Rep. Jim Jordan.
“In the 2020 election, several states intentionally dismantled election safeguards, while others hastily enacted new mail-in voting systems with lax protections. These laws and actions undermined Americans trust that their vote counted,” wrote Rep. Warren Davidson before voting against certifying the election results.
“Where do I stand on this? I do believe that there was fraud and irregularities in a number of states,” wrote Rep. Steve Chabot in a blog post before voting against certifying the election results.
“I believe fraudulent actions and illegal voting in one state dilutes the power and voice of voters in all states. I do not believe the allegations of fraud and improprieties have gotten their day in court, as many cases were dismissed on procedural grounds, often times citing lack of standing,” said U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs.
“The Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media hide behind bullying, spin, and carefully crafted talking points to distract from this fact. But most of the people I represent know the truth – that between the news media acting as the public relations department of the Democrat party, Big Tech’s big thumb on the social media and search results scales, and credible allegations of election fraud in some states, many believe the 2020 election wasn’t fair,” said U.S. Rep. Bill Johson.
“We have seen irregularities in the vote count, unexplained statistical anomalies, as well as grave allegations of irregularities and misconduct in the swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania … as legislators answerable to our constituents, we are concerned that Ohio voters are being disenfranchised as well,” wrote 40 Ohio House Republicans in a letter to Attorney General Yost calling on him to join a legal effort to overturn the results of the election.
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