News/Commentary

NY Times admits that new Georgia election integrity law could make it tough for Dems to win state

August 20, 2024 | | Print Article

Couched with the spin of election denialism, a report from the New York Times admitted Republican efforts to shore up integrity posed a problem for the left.

Nearly four years after concerns over drop boxes, mass mail-in ballots, and an exceedingly long count had been among the litany of issues voters had spoken up about, a change in membership of the Georgia State Election Board marked a win for common sense.

After approving a new rule to act on discrepancies, coverage from the Times was interpreted as though it were reporting it had grown increasingly difficult “for Democrats to cheat.”

The headline from the newspaper read “How a Far-Right Takeover of Georgia’s Election Board Could Swing the Election,” as the membership of the unelected board was covered along with their efforts to enact rules on certifications and investigations.

Reacting to the story, X account @BehizyTweets shared the headline and wrote, “The New York Times is now admitting that the new election integrity rules from the Georgia Election Board mean Trump’s chances of winning the state have skyrocketed…I translate this as, ‘The board is making it harder for Democrats to cheat in Georgia.'”

The Times quoted Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon who said, “I believe when we look back on Nov. 5, 2024, we’re going to say getting to that 3-2 election-integrity-minded majority on the State Election Board made sure that we had the level playing field to win this election.”

Referring to the change in membership as an “orchestrated takeover,” efforts at election integrity were reported as “backed by right-wing election activists who claim, falsely, that the 2020 election was stolen from [former President Donald] Trump.”

This included a recent vote of 3-2 that saw the board approve a rule that triggered an investigation if a discrepancy was found following a reconciliation of the number of votes cast with the number of unique voter IDs, establishing specific deadlines during the week of Election Day.

“Clearly, the Trump allies have learned their lessons from the failure of the attempted coup of 2020, and they’re starting earlier and attempting to burrow more deeply into the most vulnerable pieces of the election system,” attorney Norm Eisen, chair of the State Democracy Defenders Fund, told the Times.

Leaving dots unconnected with a conspiracy theory-shaped buffer in between, the outlet detailed, “For example, the board this month issued a new rule that could empower local officials to refuse or delay certification or a county’s election results they deem questionable.”

“The majority also requested another investigation by the state attorney general into questions of impropriety in the 2020 election in Fulton County, allegations that have already been investigated on multiple occasions,” the story interjected before adding, “The three board members who voted to pass these rules have been accused by watchdog organizations and Democrats of working with Trump-aligned activists in preparation to reject the results of a presidential election if Trump loses.”

Referring to member participation in meetings on election integrity as being “active in meetings of the right-wing election activist network,” the Times went on to quote Republican board member Janelle King, appointed in May, who expressed, “I’m not looking at this as I’m trying to do something that’s going to benefit Republicans, because that would be a very idiotic approach. What I’m looking at is, when the petition is presented in front of me, I’m listening to why. I’m listening to past performance what the issues may have been.”

Additionally, majority member Janice Johnston was singled out for her attendance at a rally for the president during a recent trip to Atlanta when Trump called her by name earning her applause from attendees.

Kevin Haggerty
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