BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (AP) — The Republican National Committee launched a swing state initiative Friday to mobilize some 100,000 poll watchers, poll workers and lawyers in November to serve as “election integrity” watchdogs — an effort that immediately concerns raised it could lead to intimidation of election workers and undermine confidence in the vote.
The RNC says the plan will help voters have confidence in the election process and ensure their votes matter. But as former President Donald Trump and his allies continue to spread false claims that the 2020 election was marred by widespread fraud, the effort also sets the stage for a repeat of Trump’s efforts to undermine the results — a gamble that ultimately led to the January 2020 elections. August 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Trump allies have already indicated they may not accept the results if he loses to President Joe Biden.
The RNC has said its new efforts will focus on stopping “Democrats’ efforts to circumvent the rules.” The party will deploy observers to observe every step of the election process, create hotlines for poll workers to report perceived problems and escalate these issues by taking legal action. action.
“What we must ensure is integrity in our election process,” RNC co-chair Lara Trump, the former president’s daughter-in-law said at the kickoff event in Bloomfield Hills, a suburban city crucial to Michigan winning. “We can never go back and repeat 2020, but we can learn the lessons of 2020.”
She said most of the RNC is currently focused on the committee’s election integrity program, which she called “one of a kind.”
Both parties have a long history of organizing supporters to serve as poll workers, and many election officials in presidential swing states said they believe this kind of transparency and engagement is one of the best ways to give skeptics confidence in the many safeguards baked into elections. the election process.
Still, the language surrounding the RNC’s efforts and how it is being implemented could raise broader concerns if it were to evolve beyond normal political party organization, said David Becker, a former U.S. Department of Justice attorney and executive director from the Center for Election Innovation and Research.
“If you do it in a way that gives your voters the idea that the election is going to be stolen, and prepares them to be angry if their candidate loses, that can be very dangerous,” Becker said.
___
Associated Press writers Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta, Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report. Swenson reported from New York.
___
The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to improve its explanatory reporting on elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
