As the 2024 presidential election approaches, there are troubling reports of a coordinated plan by far-right groups to deliberately undermine the integrity of the results in key swing states. According to a recent exposé by Rolling Stone magazine, this scheme involves Republican officials at the local level refusing to certify election results in their jurisdictions - effectively neutralizing those votes and preventing them from being included in the final state tallies that determine Electoral College winners.
The alleged goal? To create enough chaos and missing Electoral College votes that neither candidate reaches the 270 threshold, allowing the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to determine the presidency through a rarely-used contingency process. While the legality of such a plan is murky at best, the possibility of purposefully sabotaging a presidential election from the bottom up represents an existential threat to American democracy unlike anything seen since the partisan wrangling of the 1800s.
How the 2024 Election Could Be Sabotaged
This alarming plan is being processed by some far-right groups to purposefully create chaos and undermine the 2024 presidential election results in key swing states.
The Swing State Strategy
This scheme doesn't focus on solidly Republican states like Mississippi or Democratic strongholds like California. The target is battleground states that could go either way, such as Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Why? Because these are the states that could decide the outcome of the Electoral College vote.
At the core of this plot are the local election officials responsible for initially certifying election results in their counties or municipalities. While they may seem low on the bureaucratic totem pole, these officials hold the most power. Suppose they refuse to certify their area's votes. Those results aren't passed up to the state level for final certification.
There have already been at least 15 instances since November 2020 where Republican officials in 8 swing states - Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania - refused to certify election results for local, state, or national candidates, despite being legally obligated to do so.
The Doomsday Scenario
But why would they do this? Some analysts suggest the goal is to intentionally create enough chaos and lack of certification to prevent either presidential candidate from reaching the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win.
If that nightmare scenario plays out, the 12th Amendment kicks in—the House of Representatives would then decide the presidency, with each state delegation getting just one vote. Currently, more state delegations are controlled by Republicans than Democrats.
So, in theory, a candidate could win the most overall votes and seemingly have enough Electoral College votes...but still lose the White House because of the House vote.
This Has Happened Before
While highly undemocratic, this legislative contingency plan is technically constitutional - it has happened before in our nation's history under dubious circumstances:
-
In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes arguably "stole" the election from Samuel Tilden, who likely won the Electoral College and popular vote. However, Hayes was awarded the presidency by a partisan House vote in exchange for ending Reconstruction in the South.
-
1824 John Quincy Adams became president despite losing the Electoral College and popular vote to Andrew Jackson. Adams later passionately fought against the House's ban on discussing slavery.
-
Even Thomas Jefferson initially assumed the presidency in 1800 via the House contingency plan rather than an Electoral College majority.
These examples ultimately led to the 12th Amendment clarifying separate Electoral College votes for president and vice president.
A Looming Constitutional Crisis?
Whether this alleged sabotage scheme has legs remains to be seen. However, the notion of systematically preventing state electoral certifications from intentionally subverting the national popular will is highly concerning and undemocratic, to say the least.
If a significant number of state results are not certified in 2024, it could spark a legitimate constitutional crisis over who the legitimate president is. And a House delegation vote would only fan the flames, regardless of the outcome.
This doomsday scenario may seem far-fetched. However, the growing number of reports, evidence of "dress rehearsals," and the lingering bitterness over 2020 make it a situation that cannot be ignored as we approach the next presidential election cycle.
Eternal vigilance may be required to protect and uphold our core electoral process and democratic ideals. The American people must remain informed and engaged to ensure their voices and votes correctly count.
In the following segment, Thom Hartmann sounds this alarm in detail on what he describes as a far-right plan to create this chaos and potentially subvert the 2024 presidential election results.
Book: The Hidden History of the War on Voting: Who Stole Your Vote and How to Get It Back
In this timely and eye-opening work, renowned progressive radio host Thom Hartmann exposes the systematic efforts by elite forces throughout U.S. history to disenfranchise voters, particularly marginalized groups like people of color, women, and the poor. Hartmann traces how undemocratic schemes - from the Electoral College to modern voter ID laws - have been cynically wielded to suppress voting rates and protect elite interests.
However, Hartmann also provides a beacon of hope by outlining straightforward actions everyday citizens can take to reclaim their right to vote and their voice in American democracy. With voting rights under renewed attack and only 26% of eligible voters having elected Donald Trump, Hartmann makes clear this battle for unfettered access to the ballot box will determine whether the noble democratic experiment endures.
Click here for more info and/or to order this hardcover book. Also available as a Kindle edition
About the Author
Robert Jennings is co-publisher of InnerSelf.com with his wife Marie T Russell. He attended the University of Florida, Southern Technical Institute, and the University of Central Florida with studies in real estate, urban development, finance, architectural engineering, and elementary education. He was a member of the US Marine Corps and The US Army having commanded a field artillery battery in Germany. He worked in real estate finance, construction and development for 25 years before starting InnerSelf.com in 1996.
InnerSelf is dedicated to sharing information that allows people to make educated and insightful choices in their personal life, for the good of the commons, and for the well-being of the planet. InnerSelf Magazine is in its 30+year of publication in either print (1984-1995) or online as InnerSelf.com. Please support our work.
Creative Commons 4.0
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. Attribute the author Robert Jennings, InnerSelf.com. Link back to the article This article originally appeared on InnerSelf.com
Related Books:
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
by Timothy Snyder
This book offers lessons from history for preserving and defending democracy, including the importance of institutions, the role of individual citizens, and the dangers of authoritarianism.
Click for more info or to order
Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America
by Stacey Abrams
The author, a politician and activist, shares her vision for a more inclusive and just democracy and offers practical strategies for political engagement and voter mobilization.
Click for more info or to order
How Democracies Die
by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
This book examines the warning signs and causes of democratic breakdown, drawing on case studies from around the world to offer insights into how to safeguard democracy.
Click for more info or to order
The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism
by Thomas Frank
The author offers a history of populist movements in the United States and critiques the "anti-populist" ideology that he argues has stifled democratic reform and progress.
Click for more info or to order
Democracy in One Book or Less: How It Works, Why It Doesn't, and Why Fixing It Is Easier Than You Think
by David Litt
This book offers an overview of democracy, including its strengths and weaknesses, and proposes reforms to make the system more responsive and accountable.
