Influential figures in the movement that continues to deny Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election are mobilizing a ” army “ self-proclaimed vigilantes to monitor the electoral process, a maneuver that experts believe could cause chaos, intimidation and violence.
These conservative figures, such as populist Steve Bannon, use misinformation and conspiracy to urge thousands of people to participate in monitoring the election process. In this regard, the November 8 mid-term elections will serve as a test for the American democratic system.
The continuation after the announcement
In his “War Room” podcast, Steve Bannon this month encouraged his listeners to sign up to hold the polls, a “call to arms” Politics. Mid-term elections “it can’t end like 2020”he threw.
Egotic speech, denial of reality, references to QAnon: Trump’s meetings are radicalized
Sentenced on Friday, October 21 to four months in prison for refusing to cooperate in the parliamentary investigation into the assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters, on January 6, 2021, Steve Bannon filed an appeal.
“Steve Bannon’s appeal […] creates a real possibility that the election season will be chaotic “advance to AFP Jennifer McCoy, professor of political science at Georgia State University.
“We could see a lot of confusion, with voters being prevented from voting and a lot of trouble counting the votes if these new voters and partisan observers challenge the results they don’t like. “
“Citizen Army”
Among the guests on Steve Bannon’s podcast is Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer involved in Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential outcome in his favor, which is now part of the effort to raise a “army of citizens” Conservatives to monitor the elections. He assures that his organization, called “Election Integrity Network”, has trained more than 20,000 election observers across the country, most of them in key states that could determine the outcome of the vote.
The continuation after the announcement
“For too long the left has been counting and controlling the electoral process without our supervision. This period is over “wrote Cleta Mitchell on her website earlier this year.
Donald Trump, the messiah of the QAnon conspirators
A “guide” distributed by his organization during training sessions across the country recommends citizens to be “always present” in polling stations, question the electoral authorities and check carefully that people who wish to vote have the right to do so. Another guideline: find out if local bailiffs are “friends or enemies”.
“By supporting aggressive but vague instructions and raising the unfounded specter of widespread fraud, this pioneering effort to form an ‘army’ of citizens could lead to voter disruption and intimidation, massive protests, electoral security breaches and other forms of crime.”writes Mekela Panditharatne of New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice research institute.
“Electoral autocracy”
Authorities in Arizona have indicated that they are “very worried” security conditions around the vote, after the discovery of two individuals in paramilitary equipment who control a metal box where voters in this state can deposit their ballots in advance.
The continuation after the announcement
Viewing this video may involve the deposit of cookies by the manager of the video platform to which you will be directed. Given the refusal to deposit cookies that you have expressed, in order to respect your choice, we have blocked the reproduction of this video. If you wish to continue and play the video, you must give us your consent by clicking on the button below.
According to a Reuters / Ipsos poll broadcast on Wednesday, Oct.26 par “Forbes”43% of Americans questioned the fear of attempts at intimidation and “threats of violence” during the vote.
“Observing the vote in a neutral way is one thing, doing it in an intimidating way for voters potentially belonging to the counterpart is another”Larry Diamond, a researcher at the Hoover Institution, a research institute at Stanford University, told AFP.
“If pro-Trump extremists, who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 elections, ‘look’ at the polls in a way that intimidates some voters, such as people from minorities or very democratic constituencies, that could threaten the integrity of the election. “
Will Trump Explain the Assault on the Capitol?
Cleta Mitchell, who did not respond to AFP interview requests, does not appear to be short of funds. Her organization belongs to a pro-Trump institution that raised nearly $ 20 million in 2021, including $ 1 million from an organization founded by the former Republican president after his defeat.
Faced with this widespread electoral denial, historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat warns that the United States risks becoming a “Electoral autocracy”. Donald Trump and his supporters, he argues, “Try to completely delegitimize the elections. The goal is to combine voting and corruption, to the point that the idea of relying on elections to appoint its leaders is compromised in the eyes of public opinion. “
