Voters, who couldn’t be blamed for looking away from the news during the “Dog Days” of August, especially election news, instead find themselves “drinking through a fire hose,” according to an election law advocate.
Former President Donald Trump and his 18 co-defendants have until Friday to surrender at Georgia’s Fulton County Jail on charges they conspired to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. There is also a Republican presidential debate this week, which Trump has promised to boycott.
David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said in this political climate, voters are forced to decipher what he calls a “sideshow,” versus undertakings critical for them to follow.
“These are all part of an overall effort to begin to hold those who have lied about our democracy, who have targeted public officials, who have threatened those public officials; hold them accountable for their actions,” Becker asserted. “I think that’s incredibly important to keep that context as we continue to see these things.”
The former president faces 13 felony counts for his alleged election interference in Georgia. Last week, Trump scheduled and then canceled a news conference for today in which he promised to present “irrefutable” evidence of “election fraud” in Georgia, saying his lawyers advised against it.
In a Quinnipiac poll released last week, a majority of Americans, 68%, said if a person is convicted of a felony, they should not also be eligible to be President of the United States.
Tim Malloy, polling analyst at Quinnipiac University, said the poll also showed voters are very concerned about the nation’s future.
“A whopping 83% of Americans fear democracy may fall apart; will not be able to be sustained in this current climate,” Malloy reported. “That tells you something about the feeling of fragility that American voters have right now.”
At the same time, Malloy said when registered voters were asked about the most important issues in deciding who to vote for in the election for president, only 28% said preserving U.S. democracy. It was edged out by the economy at 32%.
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As the 2024 presidential hopefuls ramp up their campaigns in New Hampshire, federal officials are considering new rules on so-called “deepfakes” in political advertising.
The ads are created using artificial intelligence to falsely depict a candidate’s speech or actions. Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for the nonpartisan consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, called these ads a threat to democracy.
“People who put out those type of ‘deepfakes’ don’t even have to have a disclosure system saying,” said Holman, “‘What you’re watching isn’t real – we just made all this stuff up.'”
The Federal Election Commission will decide whether to develop rules governing the ads following a 60-day public comment window, which ends October 16.
Holman said it will take public pressure on both Congress and state legislatures to ensure voters are not being lied to by political campaigns.
Four states have already banned deepfakes, including California, Minnesota, Texas and Washington. Democratic lawmakers have also sent letters to the Federal Election Commission in support of the rulemaking process.
Until those rules are created, Holman said the public should view all campaign ads with skepticism.
“This should not be a partisan issue,” said Holman. “I mean, both parties are going to abuse this if they have the license to do so.”
Two bills to regulate deepfakes have stalled in Congress, but as more lawmakers’ reputations are tarnished by these false ads, Holman said he suspects they may get some attention.
For now, the number of ads is growing – and without regulations, Holman said the onslaught of ads will make them harder for candidates to dispute.
Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
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Iowans have a chance to cast their first unofficial ballot for president as this year’s State Fair draws to a close Sunday, and the Secretary of State is encouraging people to take part while registering to vote if they have not done so.
The Iowa State Fair has long been known for agriculture, celebrity likenesses carved in butter, and — as host of the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses — grassroots political campaigning. This year is no exception. Republican presidential hopefuls have descended on the fair ahead of the first national GOP debate.
Paul Pate, Secretary of State, said while the politicians’ State Fair “soap box” speeches tend to cater to the Hawkeye State’s rural roots, Iowans’ voices play a key role in the nominating process nationwide.
“We’ve got a significant responsibility helping with this job interview for candidates running for president, and we need to take that role seriously,” Pate asserted. “We need to make sure we’re asking the tough questions of candidates, giving the rest of the country a chance to see and hear how they answer it.”
Despite some disruption in the schedule, the Republican presidential caucus is still scheduled to be the nation’s first on Jan. 15, while Democrats are still finalizing their date.
Pate noted while the candidates’ messages are targeted to Iowans, the issues they discuss in their speeches cut across party and geographical lines. Pate added being just a few feet away from the candidates allows people to ask questions, rather than hearing more well-worn campaign slogans.
“You get much more access than you might if it was just a retail campaign where they bought a bunch of radio, TV and newsprint ads and bombard you with just direct mail. That’s all one-sided. One way,” Pate pointed out. “This requires them to actually think on their feet.”
The Iowa State Fair, which dates to 1854, wraps up Sunday. The Iowa caucuses were made famous in 1976, when a little-known Georgia peanut farmer-turned-governor named Jimmy Carter burst onto the political scene and went on to win the presidency.
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When Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., needed assistance after threats during her 2020 election campaign, she turned to unarmed civilian protection in Saint Louis.
Unarmed civilian protection members are specially trained to de-escalate even the worst scenarios.
Eli McCarthy, director of programs for the group D.C. Peace Team, said a highly skilled unarmed civilian protection unit uses many nonviolent resources such as centering and different forms of dialogue, listening and acknowledging feelings and needs.
“Things like distraction and delegation, dignity phrases, interconnectedness phrases,” McCarthy outlined. “For example, like, ‘We are in this together, let’s find a way through this.’ And then other tactics like interposition so different ways, they can use their bodies to get in between to block.”
McCarthy said unarmed civilian protection is practiced in war zones such as South Sudan, Colombia, Iraq and the Philippines.
As we gear up for the next election in November 2024, some national organizations are already planning for and asking for de-escalation training from the D.C Peace Team.
McCarthy said training and deployment of an unarmed civilian protection unit for election polling places, faith-based groups and those involved in the election process who are feeling directly threatened or at risk can be beneficial.
“One option is to hire an unarmed civilian protection team or unit to provide regular accompaniment and really try to put that person more at ease so they can focus on the work. You know, Cori said, ‘I don’t have to look over my shoulder and be on constant alert.'”
DCPT is part of a broader network known as the Shanti Sena Network. It is composed of members from peace teams from around the U.S. and Canada and is open to members worldwide.
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