Dear fellow MoveOn member,
The very same people behind the January 6 insurrection are now trying to
overthrow the U.S. government in a slow-motion coup.
Steve Bannon said it outright: "We're taking over all the elections."^1
Their plan is to take over the machinery of our democracy from the ground
up by electing Donald Trump loyalists as the top election official in key
states in this coming fall's midterms—so that in the 2024 presidential
election, only Trump loyalists will be certifying elections in the states
that will decide who wins.^2
Remember, Trump ultimately failed to overturn the 2020 election because a
few election officials—secretaries of state in particular—rightfully
certified the results despite heavy pressure from him and his enablers to
overturn them.
If Trump and Bannon succeed this time, our democracy is in serious
trouble.
That's why MoveOn is doing something it's never done in its 23-year
history: running a powerful, multimillion-dollar effort to defeat
Trump-backed candidates for secretary of state and elect individuals who
will count every vote and ensure fair elections.
This is crucial, democracy-saving work, which is why I have a simple
request: Will you start a $5 monthly donation right now to
MoveOn to help defeat the Trump-backed candidates for secretary of state
and ensure that every vote is counted?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
In 2020, secretaries of state—who in most states oversee elections,
including counting votes and certifying the results—held the United
States' rickety democracy together by certifying Joe Biden's win.
But what happens if secretaries of state won't protect democracy? In most
states, secretaries of state are elected. And it's precisely those
elections that Trump and Bannon are targeting, especially in key swing
states. For example …
* Trump's choice for Georgia's secretary of state is Jody Hice, who as a
Georgia congressman voted against certifying the 2020 election.^3
* His choice for Michigan's secretary of state is Kristina Karamo, who
falsely claimed to have witnessed election fraud.^4
* His choice for Arizona's secretary of state is Mark Finchem, a
QAnon-supporting member of the Oath Keepers militia who participated
in the January 6 insurrection.^5
At least 20 other candidates now running for secretary of state around the
nation do not believe in the legitimacy of the 2020 election and are
spreading lies and conspiracy theories that the election was stolen.^6
They are part of a quiet movement kicked off by former Trump adviser Steve
Bannon.
In addition, thousands of others who have taken up Bannon's call have
signed up to be local elections officials and poll workers. These
positions, especially secretaries of state, are the last lines of defense
in a democracy.
That's where MoveOn comes in. MoveOn's superpower is that it's a powerful
grassroots organization with members in every corner of the country.
MoveOn trains and equips its members with the information, skills, and
network to make a difference. And, in critical states like Arizona, where
Finchem, a self-avowed white supremacist, is the leading GOP candidate for
secretary of state, MoveOn is the only organization currently working to
defeat Trump's hand-picked candidates.
But organizing takes money. And as a grassroots organization, MoveOn's
resources come from its members—tens of thousands of people across the
country chipping in whatever they can. So please, will you join me right
now and chip in $5 a month to help sustain the effort to
defeat Trump's candidates for secretary of state?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
We've seen what happens when secretaries of state put partisan interests
ahead of election integrity.
In 2018, Brian Kemp ran Georgia's elections as its secretary of state,
while he was running for governor against Stacey Abrams. During his
tenure, Kemp oversaw the purging of almost 1.5 million voter registrations
and the closing of more than 200 polling places.^7 In the weeks leading up
to the election, he put more than 50,000 voter registrations on hold, 70%
of which belonged to Black people.^8 He won by 55,000 votes.^9
And remember back in the 2000 presidential election, when Al Gore won the
popular vote? Nonetheless, Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris,
who had been co-chair of George W. Bush's statewide campaign, ended up
calling Florida for Bush, which handed him the election.^10
Trump and Bannon's goal is to replicate these abuses across America and
put into power next fall Trump loyalists who care more about electing
Trump in 2024 than in upholding democracy.
And what stands in the way? Well, it's us—you and me, John,
along with millions of other MoveOn members all across the country.
In 2020, we organized, volunteered, and voted to keep American democracy
alive. In the coming months, we must work to elect public servants who
will uphold democracy and stand up to those who are hellbent on
undermining it.
But it will happen only if we come together—and starting now. Please, if
you are able, will you start a $5 monthly donation right
now to help stop Trump's plot to put his loyalists in charge of overseeing
elections?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Robert Reich
Sources:
1. Tweet by Media Matters for America, November 12, 2021
[link removed]
2. "Trump-Backed Secretaries of State Could Flip the 2024 Election," New
York, February 17, 2022
[link removed]
3. "Jody Hice tried to overturn the 2020 election. Now he wants to be in
charge of Georgia’s elections." Vox, March 22, 2021
[link removed]
4. "Trump-backed Michigan secretary of state candidate spread false
election claims and January 6 conspiracy theories," CNN, November 16, 2021
[link removed]
5. "Trump Endorses Arizona SoS Candidate Mark Finchem, a Self-Proclaimed
Member of Oath Keepers," Newsweek, September 13, 2021
[link removed]
6. "Here's where election-denying candidates are running to control
voting," NPR, February 3, 2022
[link removed]
7. "After the Purge: How a massive voter purge in Georgia affected the
2018 election," American Public Media, October 29, 2019
[link removed]
8. "Georgia put 53,000 voter registrations on hold, fueling new charges of
voter suppression," Vox, October 12, 2018
[link removed]
9. "Georgia Governor Election Results," The New York Times, January 28,
2019
[link removed]
10. "Florida Vote Certification," C-SPAN, November 26, 2000
[link removed]
Want to support MoveOn's work? Donald Trump's preparations for being able
to steal the presidency in 2024 are well underway and include working to
replace top election officials in battleground states with his own
loyalists. Which is why MoveOn is doing something we've never done in our
23-year history: They're launching a powerful, multimillion-dollar effort
to defeat Trump-backed secretaries of state across the country and elect
individuals who will count every vote and ensure fair elections.
Will you chip in to power MoveOn's campaign to defeat Trump and protect
our elections in 2022?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
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