Experts say: statements of electoral fraud, other deceptive rhetoric can harm democracy: NPR

The House on Friday approved a radical move that would, among other things, increase voter access to the polls. But Republican Senate leaders said the chamber would not accept the bill, calling it a takeover. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Has accused the Democrats of using "baseless rhetoric" to enact legislation that, according to Republicans, would encourage electoral fraud.

The debate on voting is often tainted with deceptive and exaggerated rhetoric. President Trump in particular continues to allege "widespread election fraud" despite evidence to the contrary. Some election experts warned that the speech undermined voter confidence and posed a serious threat to the electoral process.

When asked recently to comment on a case in North Carolina – where a politician had been accused of falsifying enough mail ballots to justify new congressional elections – Trump had raised unfounded allegations and more doubtful.

"Well, I condemn any electoral fraud, and when I look at what happened in California with the votes, when I look at what happened – because you know that there has been just a case where they found a million fraudulent votes, "he told reporters. the oval office. At that time, a reporter began to interrupt to report that no one had yet found a million fraudulent votes in California.

The president cut it off, continuing: "When I look at what happened in Texas, when I look at this disaster that took place in Florida, Republican candidates were continuing less and less." Fortunately, Rick Scott and Ron [DeSantis] ended up winning their election. But it's outrageous what happened there. "

What happened in Florida was part of the normal voting process, with postal and correspondence ballots counted in the days following the election. The president also cited unproven claims in Texas that tens of thousands of non-citizens voted illegally, an assertion that state officials have turned back.

Republicans often speak of the threat of "electoral fraud". And polls show that the message has an impact. An NPR / Marist poll of September 2018 revealed that a majority of voters thought electoral fraud was likely to occur in midterm elections, including 72 percent of Republicans.

"It's really inappropriate for elected officials who know better than electoral fraud, electoral fraud is extremely rare," said Chris Thomas, who has led the elections in the state of Michigan for 36 years. He claims that unfounded allegations of fraud only confuse voters and erode public confidence.

"By gnawing this trust, it is only a new kind of flaw in the armor, if you will, that undermines our democracy," he said.

Ohio State Secretary Frank LaRose is also troubled by the trend and is discussing with other secretaries of state how they could encourage a more thoughtful debate about the voting questions. Unfortunately, he says, politicians have found that rhetoric works.

"If you want to excite your base, if you want to get people to donate to your campaign, if you want to get people to come to your rally, you push the hyperbole button. afraid of widespread fraud or widespread repression and people will react, but again, this is not true, "he says.

LaRose, a Republican, also blames some leftist parties for frequently using words such as "purge" and "repression of voters", which gives the impression that problems are more prevalent than ever before. they are not.

"Reasonable people should be able to say that we will not tolerate electoral fraud, we will not tolerate the removal of voters", without implying that they are systemic and widespread, he said.

Even routine maintenance of voters lists can be considered a "purge". Chris Thomas said Michigan election officials were often criticized for canceling inactive registrations, as required by federal law.

"The complexity of the current rules can often make one think of those who are not very careful, or of those who want to raise a problem, that something untoward is happening, whereas in reality, it does not go away. It's just routine maintenance, "he says. .

Jennifer Mercieca, an expert in political rhetoric from Texas A & M University, believes that the prevalence of social media in public discourse encourages the use of heavy terms like "fraud" and "purge".

"In this system, you are rewarded by expressing these very polemical and emotional things," said Mercieca.

She says that it inhibits motivated debate and can lead to actions to solve problems that do not exist – like voting restrictions in response to fears of widespread fraud.

Mercieca says that another danger is that those who want to intensify divisions in the United States can take advantage of hyper-polarized debate. She cites Russian trolls trying to sow discord in recent US elections, echoing remarks about widespread voter fraud and repression.