Millions of Americans will vote this fall – but six Republican justices might have the final say, in a Bush v Gore redux
It’s frighteningly easy to imagine. Kamala Harris wins Georgia. The state elections board, under the sway of its new Trump-aligned commissioners, grinds the certification process to a slow halt to investigate unfounded fraud allegations, spurring the state’s Republican legislature to select its own slate of electors.
Perhaps long lines in Philadelphia lead to the state supreme court holding polls open until everyone has a chance to vote. Before anyone knows the results, Republicans appeal to the US supreme court using the “independent state legislature” (ISL) theory, insisting that the state court overstepped its bounds and the late votes not be counted.
Or maybe an election evening fire at a vote counting center in Milwaukee disrupts balloting. The progressive majority on the state supreme court attempts to establish a new location, but Republicans ask the US supreme court to shut it down.
Maybe that last example was inspired by HBO’s Succession. But in this crazy year, who’s to say it couldn’t happen? The real concern is this: if you think a repeat of Bush v Gore can’t happen this year, think again.
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I’m actually more worried about threats of violence at polling places in swing states, especially in Democrat districts. Drop a smoke bomb and play sounds of gunfire and watch everybody scatter and stay away out of fear of violence. All it would take is that in one or two key polling places in swing states and watch this election shift right to Trump. And it wouldn’t take much. One of them early in the morning in Pennsylvania would have a chilling effect nationwide as word spreads.
This is why we need as many people as possible to vote early and or by mail! My state, Texas, doesn’t allow mail-in voting, but voting early takes so much less time and it’s harder for any sort of shenanigans since it is so many more days.