Midterm elections: rallying ’round the flag?

The midterm election is days away and – apart from campaigns – both major political parties and community groups are engaging with citizens about the Bigger Picture: voting.

There have been claims about the reliability of voting machines or mail-in ballots, and concerns about the seizure of ballots or Congress refusing to certify results, so groups’ priorities may differ, but a common goal is helping to ensure an honest election accessible to U.S. citizens registered to vote.

“We have an election facing us right now,” said Claude Cummings, President of the Communications Workers of America. “We have a responsibility as a labor movement to have the tools to ensure working people can participate, no matter what comes at them.”

For Illinois, early voting has started. In Peoria, the Election Commission has daily opportunities to cast ballots in-person at its Brandywine Drive offices, expanded weekend hours Oct. 24-24 and Oct. 31-Nov. 1, and has early-voting hours at 11 other polling places throughout the county [See https://www.peoriaelections.gov/174/Early-Voting ]

The U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 25 issued an emergency order letting the Trump administration to use a data base it created to check registered voters’ citizenship status (a version of the Systematic Alien Verification  for Entitlements (SAVE) Act, which was not approved by the U.S. Senate.) The opinion noted that individualized checks are permitted but not mass voter-roll purges, and three Justices disagreed.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in a 12-page dissent, stressed that the majority’s decision created the conditions for some states to cancel the voter registrations of at least some U.s. citizens or to force them to provide proof of citizenship before voting.

“The harm caused by burdening or disenfranchising even a few lawful voters outweighs the nonexistent harm that the government experiences when it is prevented from taking an action that it likely lacks the authority to take,” said Jackson joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

The Washington Spectator online newsletter in late August published a story by Mark Medish and Joel McCleary speculating that some government officials could consider seizing ballots, draft an Emergency Order taking control of the election on the basis of fraud, foreign interference or other claims.

Testifying before Congress, FBI Director Kash Patel on Sept. 15 refused to rule out the possibility of federal agents at the polls, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullins in March and again Sept. 1 said he can’t guarantee that Immigration and  Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents won’t be at polling places.

So: Lawsuits have been filed to protect the process. In mid-September a coalition made up of the Urban League and unions including the Painters, Teachers, SEIU and the UCFW to prevent voter suppression.

“Our polling sites shouldn’t look like armed camps,” said Painters President Jimmy Williams Jr.

A week earlier, another group comprised of Common Cause, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and Denver’s elected Clerk and Recorder Paul Lopez sued to seek assurance that the federal government will follow the law and not interfere with election proceedings.

“The whole idea was to prevent voter intimidation,” said Bethany Li, executive director at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, representing nine clients in the case. “And that's exactly what we're seeing now from the federal government.”

As the 65-page lawsuit from unions and others states, “Neither the Constitution nor federal law grants federal agencies any role in assessing or policing voter eligibility or regulating election administration. Federal law expressly prohibits sending armed federal agents to voting locations.”

Indeed, the federal law (18 U.S.C. § 592) states, “Whoever, being an officer of the Army or Navy, or other person in the civil, military, or naval service of the United States, orders, brings, keeps, or has under his authority or control any troops or armed men at any place where a general or special election is held, unless such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both; and be disqualified from holding any office of honor, profit, or trust under the United States.”

Cummings, from the CWA, added, “If anyone tries to intimidate our people, or silence them, we will not stand by and do nothing. We will use every tool at our disposal, whether it’s in the halls of the legislature, in the courts or in the streets, we will do everything in our power to make sure our voices are heard.”

Elsewhere, Operation Vote Safe, a nonpartisan voter-protection effort, has said it’s enlisting trained volunteers including fire fighters, clergy, veterans, and respected local figures to protect access to the voting booth; some states are helping counties recruit poll workers, filling positions that help set up or break down polling places, greet and check in voters, issue and transport ballots, and other support assignments; and the National Bar Association last month announced an initiative to help voters, Republicans and Democrat, understand what seem like last-minute changes and to create a helpline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

Civic organizations and nonpartisan advocates such as the League of Women Voters and Vote Safe are taking action:

* The AFL-CIO plans to recruit 50,000 “election protection” volunteers to be present agt select polling locations and volunteer for emergency hotlines “to ensure that no one is intimidated into not exercising their basic rights.”

* Peoria County Republicans have an “Ensure Election Integrity” program to organize poll watchers, help fill Election Judge openings and consider working with the Board of Elections Committee, and invited interested people to email 309aces@gmail.com. Peoria’s GOP Election Integrity captain Deb Weiss said, “We are focused on ensuring a free and fair election through our poll watcher program and election judge recruitment efforts, which helps provide transparency and integrity at the polling places. If anyone is interested in poll watching in Peoria for the Peoria County Republican Central Committee, our email is pollwatcherspeoria@gmail.com.

* The Peoria City Council last month approved a policy providing eight hours of normal pay for city workers appointed to serve as Election Judges.

* The Tri-County Fired Up for Democracy group is “encouraging people to be Election Judges,” said Mari Osborne.

* NAACP Peoria has conducted voter educational town halls with the League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria (LWVGP), and has an Oct. 12 event at noon at Peoria Friendship House of Christian Service on NE Madison, according to the civil-rights organization’s Political Action Chair Jackie Petty.

* The LWVGP will observe the testing of voting equipment “so that we can attest to its accuracy and be able to assure voters that it’s a fair process kin which all eligible votes will by counted,” LWVGP President Chris Kaergard said. Also, the League statewide is encouraging turnout and set up an informative textbank service (available by searching for the ‘League in Action” app on your smartphone).

* The Democratic Party through its state organizations on Sept. 14 announced a “New Battlefield Project” intending to enlist 10,000 volunteers to watch over polling places, and in Peoria, “we plan to have poll watchers at select polling places on Election Day. Additionally, with the heightened focus by Trump on vote-by-mail, we will have someone at all of the VBM processing at the Election Commission this year,” said Rick Fox, chair of Peoria County Democrats Central Committee.

* Peoria 50501, which has been key to “No Kings” rallies, has scheduled two events: An Oct. 17 rally from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Main and University Streets in Peoria to “encourage every eligible voter has a plan to vote – to register, vote early, and help save our democracy. Two weeks later, on Oct. 31 – Halloween – “we'll gather near the Peoria County Election Commission for a ‘Treat Yourself to Early Voting!’ effort,” said Jim Haptonstahl. “The Commission is open for early voting that Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.