Jul.28

electoral-vote.com

Dem 47

   

GOP 53

New Jersey Provides Fuel for Right-Wing Conspiracy Theorists...

This story is actually from last week, but it took us until today to get around to it. On Tuesday of last week, Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) announced that, due to a bug in the software used by the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission, about 6,600 non-citizens were registered to vote, and 400 of them availed themselves of the privilege.

At a glance, this would seem to validate Republicans' claims about blue states allowing non-citizens to vote, thus producing fraudulent election results. And certainly, the right-wing media, and right-wing politicians, are using the revelation in that way. It is, however, important to note the following:

• This was clearly, and verifiably, a mistake.
• New Jersey officials discovered the problem, and copped to it.
• The responsible software company has been fired.
• The 400 people who voted did so because the state told them they were eligible.
• Those 400 people were registered as Democrats, independents and Republicans (and not just as Democrats).
• There is no evidence whatsoever that the 400 voters changed the outcome of any election.

In short, there is really nothing to see here.

Still, the Department of Justice is looking under rocks for evidence of voter fraud, so as to please the fellow in the Oval Office, and to help make the case for the SAVE Act. So, Trump's current former personal lawyer, Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for "Civil Rights," has demanded the names of all 6,600, warning that they might all face criminal prosecution and even deportation.

Sherrill has already indicated that she will tell Dhillon to shove it. On a human level, this is the right choice, as these folks did nothing wrong. On a political level, it is also the right choice. There is little doubt that Dhillon & Co. would not only arrest and try to prosecute these folks, but that it would be done slowly, a few people at a time, so as to create the impression of a vast and unending conspiracy.

It is probable that Dhillon will sue to try to get the records. And it is probable she will lose, just as the DOJ has done, over and over, in these cases. At very least, this will take a long time to play out, which means that Dhillon won't get what she wants in time to try to help save the SAVE Act. (Z)