June 17, 2025

There is a dangerous pathology that causes some otherwise intelligent people to bend over backward to excuse Republican voter suppression. Unable to defend it on the merits, they instead claim it is ineffective or even counterproductive.

This impulse is particularly noticeable in the legacy media, where both-sides coverage is all too common. But you also see it among some so-called election experts, who likewise find comfort in falsely insisting that both political parties are equally culpable for deploying unsavory tactics.

If our democracy does not ultimately survive this era, it may well be because performative neutrality killed it — or at least hid its murder from view and then claimed it is still alive. Yet, even now, recognizing that one political party is protecting democracy and the other is undermining it is too much for these individuals and legacy institutions to abide by.

There is no arena where this issue is more contentious, and the stakes are higher, than in Republican efforts to limit who can register, vote and have their vote counted. There is no question that the Republican Party, under Donald Trump, has prioritized voter suppression...

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