Will Election Deniers Win the Election?
Critical Analysis
As shown in the data in the table above, Brookings identified 345 candidates on the ballot in November who have expressed election denial beliefs—false claims that the presidential election in 2020 was flawed. Candidates with a 10 or more point lead in election polling are rated with a High likelihood of winning. According to the data from the table above, what percentage of election deniers* are highly likely to win election in the upcoming November elections?
The 2022 midterms may well be the first elections ever where the elections themselves are on the ballot. Well over 300 candidates across a variety of races this fall are perpetuating former President Trump’s assertion that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him and that American elections are deeply flawed. Although no one has ever found proof of widespread and/or systematic fraud in the 2020 presidential election (as former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr among others affirmed), the persistent and high-volume repetition by Trump and his high-profile surrogates has convinced many other Republicans that election was stolen. Why do you think so many candidates for office are asserting this election denial falsehood?
Over 60 Percent of Americans will have an election denier on their ballot in the 2022 election (see visual below*). Based on the visual above, how many election deniers to you think will win election in 2022?
The first group of election deniers shown in the visual below* consists of candidates for statewide offices —governors, secretaries of state and attorneys general— who, if they are elected, will have a great deal to say about how elections in their state will be run in the future. Describe how state officials involved in elections?
A second group shown in the visual below* are members of Congress. They have little control over election administration—a traditionally state-run function—but they do have an important role to play in the acceptance of presidential electors and related matters (such as if the presidential election should be thrown into the House of Representatives). The third group are state legislators whose role could be critical in passing legislation to reform the laws in the direction that the election deniers want. Of these three groups of candidates shown in the visual below*, which group has the biggest impact on how elections are run?
Imagine that election deniers won a large portion of their 2022 races. Describe how this would impact American politics and future elections.
I have decided to assert with zero evidence the claim that "Weird Al" Yankovic, American singer-songwriter and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate won the 2022 election. Additionally, I don’t like the Los Angeles Rams - those uniforms, ughh! I am considering asserting, despite all evidence to the contrary, that the Rams lost to the Bengals in the 2022 Super Bowl. Go Bengals! Describe the process you use to evaluate any claim, in this particular example, a claim that has no basis in reality.
Make a claim, explaining the connection between free and fair elections and democracy.
Throughout recent American history* (see below) there was a higher level of public trust in elections, and there very few prominent election deniers. Why do you think election denying has become so popular and what role has social media played in this?
If there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election, by now all the people investigating it would have found some evidence of this. Why do you think so many people believe this baseless assertion?
Learning Extension
Check out this Brookings Report on election deniers and the 2022 election. And you can use this FiveThirtyEight report to see how many election deniers are running for office in each state. University of Southern California Bonus: How to Evaluate Claims.
Action Extension
The easiest way to preserve American democracy is to vote for candidates that respect democracy and the sanctity of free and fair elecitons! Go online and Register to vote. If you are not old enough to vote, or already are registered, share this link with someone who needs it.
