Recall just a couple of months ago how any ballot security measure suggested by Republicans was mere conspiracy theory and an attempt to overthrow democracy? Well, now the shoe is on the other foot, and what was good for the goose then is simply unpalatable to the same flock of loud, unruly birds today. With President Joe Biden safely ensconced in the White House and California Governor Gavin Newsom facing a very real threat of recall, simple security measures, like signature verification, are once again important to the Democrats.
The hypocrisy is enough to have folks exclaiming “How dare you!?” in outrage like some underage but overhyped climate activist.
Newsom’s Novelty Wore Off?
When Gavin Newsom ran for governor of California in 2018, he won handily. By April 2020, he enjoyed a 70% approval rating. That’s not surprising, given the left-wing supermajority living in the Golden State. But coronavirus changed everything. Over the course of the first year CE (COVID Era), Newsom’s bungled response – from closing schools and businesses to that unfortunate dinner party at the French Laundry – has quickly eroded whatever political high his supporters once enjoyed. For many, the novelty has worn off and, with it, his welcome in the Governor’s Mansion.
In order to trigger an election to replace him, those hoping to nix Newsom need almost 1.5 million signatures across several counties. They claim to have collected more than 1.5 million names and are hoping for at least 1.9 million so that they can come away with at least the required 1,495,709 signatures validated by March 17.
Signature Verification or Voter Suppression?
Late votes, ballot dumps in the middle of the night, mail-in ballots separated from envelopes before signatures could be matched – and all in hotly contested swing states where Trump seemed likely to beat Biden …
These were just some of the claims made regarding the 2020 election. Regardless of the individual merit of such claims, any attempts to investigate were characterized as a fascist attempt to overturn democracy. That’s what the Dems and friendly media fed the people. Signature verification? Oh, that’s voter suppression – until such a measure might save the rear of a Democratic Party elite like Newsom.
Luckily for those who appreciate integrity – but not Newsom – even this “fascist tactic” seems unlikely to stop the storm that’s coming for the governor. According to the office of California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, about 1.1 million signatures have been submitted and more than 668,000 of them – about 80% – have been accepted. So far, around 130,000 signatures have been rejected, but there’s no news about 296,000 of the remaining 1.1 million – or the several hundred thousand more that haven’t been submitted. Those who hope to oust the governor don’t have far to go, and they have a couple of weeks to get there. Thus far, there has been no general conservative and Republican outcry against this “attempt to overthrow democracy,” at least nothing like the backlash for the fraud allegations of the 2020 presidential election. Perhaps that’s because – unlike the left – conservatives want the truth. With an 80% acceptance rate on the petition signatures, it looks like truth is on their side.
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