thetennesseestar--2020-11-07--Virginia Star Reporter Corinne Murdock Describes Husbands Inspirational Gesture of Patriotism and He

Virginia Star Reporter Corinne Murdock Describes Husbands Inspirational Gesture of Patriotism and Her Latest Story About Detroit’s Health Dept. Keeping GOP Poll Challengers at Bay

Live from Virginia Friday morning on The John Fredericks Show – weekdays on WNTW AM 820/ FM 92.7 – Richmond , WJFN FM 100.5 – Central Virginia , WMPH AM 1010 / FM 100.1 / FM 96.9 ( 7-9 PM ) Hampton Roads , WBRG AM 1050 / FM 105.1 – Lynchburg/Roanoke and Weekdays 6-10 am and 24/7 Stream – host Fredericks welcomed Journalist and Reporter for The Virginia Star Corinne Murdock to the show .
During the program , Murdock explained her veteran husband ’ s commitment to his country by driving to Texas just to cast his vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her recent stories about voter dumps and how poll watchers were being kept away by a Detroit Department of Health official .
Fredericks : Joining us now live in the studio , Corinne Murdock .
Corinne is a reporter and a correspondent with The Virginia Star , my newspaper .
I love The Virginia Star and you are doing a great job , Corrine .
Thanks for being here with us today .
Murdock : Yeah , thank you .
And I want to clarify that I ’ m a different Murdoch .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s that I ’ ve been selling us out .
Fredericks : So you ’ re 18 Murdoch , not Rupert Murdoch get rid of Fox News to put him out .
Go on Newsmax .
Great clarification .
All right .
So before we get into your story you had a great story in The Star today about a video that went viral .
But before that , we were chatting last night and you told me something I couldn ’ t get over it when I went to bed .
Tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live in the outskirts in a suburb of Nashville .
Between Nashville and Clarksdale , Tennessee .
Your husband is from Texas and was a Texas voter .
Tell our audience what your husband did in order to vote .
Murdock : He drove about 10 hours down there and went and voted .
He stayed over at his family ’ s house and turned around and came back for school because he ’ s currently going to Belmont University and he ’ s a veteran .
So he ’ s getting his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like , you know , I got to get down there and vote .
That ’ s just important .
That ’ s what I owe to my country .
Fredericks : He didn ’ t trust an absentee ballot in the mail so he drove 20 hours .
Fredericks : To cast one vote in Texas .
Murdock : He did .
He said he ’ s like , you know , we ’ ve been going to the store , you know , if you can go to Walmart , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said if you trust the grocery store more than you trust your government why would you trust them with your ballot ?
Murdock : Or the liquor store .
Exactly .
Fredericks : Just think about this , Corinne ’ s Murdock ’ s husband .
So Jonny Cole drives 20 hours to cast one vote in Texas .
I think that is an inspirational message .
You know , we have young people in this country that they want to have a family and they want to have freedom .
They want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursue their dreams .
So one young man drives 20 hours to cast one vote one time .
Unbelievable .
That should be an inspiration to anybody that gets a little down because you know , they don ’ t like what CNN says and they want to pull the covers over their head .
Jonny Cole drove 20 hours to Texas to cast one vote in this election .
You know , what we need a million Johnny Coles out there if we ’ re going to be successful .
Tell your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fredericks : I mean , I ’ ve never even heard of that .
Driving 20 hours guest about that ’ s a true .
That ’ s a true believer .
Murdock : Oh , yeah , he loved serving his country .
Fredericks : Inspirational for us all .
Tell us about the story you ’ ve got going in The Virginia Star today .
Murdock : Alright , so a viral video went out of a woman who is a poll challenger and she was in Detroit at the I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook Live recording how the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services came down and was barring poll challengers from entering or if they were leaving a room not letting them come back in .
She was saying that she reported some Republicans not being allowed back in .
And fact-checkers actually came out this morning and said no , it was both sides people not being allowed in but this woman was saying they were telling them that they were at capacity and she ’ s on this video .
And you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at .
Nobody was around her in a 40,000 square foot building .
People were downstairs trying to do their jobs and trying to protect the votes no matter what you believe .
I mean that was pretty much it .
The fact-checkers came out and said , you know people both people were there on the poll watcher side .
Now my concern is why they were borrowing any poll challenges at all .
I mean , this is an important election , no matter what you believe .
Fredericks : So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department to stop poll watchers from observing the counting of votes ?
Murdock : That ’ s what it appears to be .
Fredericks : They ’ re using every lever of government to count the votes and darkness .
Fredericks : I mean , I ’ m just ask our listeners this Corinne if you ’ re counting votes and you want to be accurate and you want to be sure that they ’ re honest why are you making such an effort to do it in darkness .
Murdock : That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I mean in this video she ’ s saying that she was actually watching some individuals , I mean both sides that were standing there and saying , “ hey I want to challenge that ballot , and people from that District were ignoring the poll challengers .
And I think that begs the question like , why are we rushing this ?
Why are we not taking a closer look at this .
Fredericks : So the poll watchers there in Michigan wanted to challenge certain ballots , which they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s why they ’ re there .
and the election officials just ignored them .
Fredericks : In Detroit , they just said well too bad screw you .
So actually being there didn ’ t it didn ’ t matter because they wouldn ’ t let them ask a question .
Murdock : It ’ s what she was reporting .
That ’ s what she was saying .
And she was one of the officials that were helping make copies apparently for the GOP .
Fredericks : This is not going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or Governor Whitmer using her department of health to throw Republican poll watchers out .
This thing is going to be decided in the courts .
This is what banana republics do .
Tell us about your other story .
Murdock : My other story was looking at the voter dumps or the ballot dumps that were happening .
And there ’ s a lot of mixed reporting out there .
There ’ s a lot of numbers that are flying around .
And it ’ s all happening so fast , you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these numbers coming in and then immediately these officials are turning around and saying , you know , we added a zero here .
It was a mistake .
We ’ re going to update that .
Oh , you know , this just came in because we realized we forgot this .
And nobody can keep up with it and nobody can keep track of this .
And you have to wonder like is this is on purpose or can people not just adjust right now to all these absentee ballots and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put it in a system that can handle this .
We covered a story just about a month ago and just followed up a week ago about up in Lynchburg where they weren ’ t able to handle that .
And no matter what you believe the intentions were there they were admitting we ’ re overwhelmed and we can ’ t handle this .
Listen to the full show here :

Live from Virginia Friday morning on The John Fredericks Show – weekdays on WNTW AM 820/ FM 92.7 – Richmond, WJFN FM 100.5 – Central Virginia, WMPH AM 1010 / FM 100.1 / FM 96.9 (7-9 PM) Hampton Roads, WBRG AM 1050 / FM 105.1 – Lynchburg/Roanoke and Weekdays 6-10 am and 24/7 Stream – host Fredericks welcomed Journalist and Reporter for The Virginia Star Corinne Murdock to the show.
During the program, Murdock explained her veteran husband’s commitment to his country by driving to Texas just to cast his vote. She also went on to outline her recent stories about voter dumps and how poll watchers were being kept away by a Detroit Department of Health official.
Fredericks: Joining us now live in the studio, Corinne Murdock. Corinne is a reporter and a correspondent with The Virginia Star, my newspaper. I love The Virginia Star and you are doing a great job, Corrine. Thanks for being here with us today.
Murdock: Yeah, thank you. And I want to clarify that I’m a different Murdoch. Eighteen Murdock. Not the Murdock’s that I’ve been selling us out.
Fredericks: So you’re 18 Murdoch, not Rupert Murdoch get rid of Fox News to put him out. Go on Newsmax. Great clarification. All right. So before we get into your story you had a great story in The Star today about a video that went viral. But before that, we were chatting last night and you told me something I couldn’t get over it when I went to bed. Tell us about your husband. You guys live in the outskirts in a suburb of Nashville. Between Nashville and Clarksdale, Tennessee. Your husband is from Texas and was a Texas voter. Tell our audience what your husband did in order to vote.
Murdock: He drove about 10 hours down there and went and voted. He stayed over at his family’s house and turned around and came back for school because he’s currently going to Belmont University and he’s a veteran. So he’s getting his degree right now. But he was like, you know, I got to get down there and vote. That’s just important. That’s what I owe to my country.
Fredericks: He didn’t trust an absentee ballot in the mail so he drove 20 hours.
Murdock: He did.
Fredericks: To cast one vote in Texas.
Murdock: He did. He said he’s like, you know, we’ve been going to the store, you know, if you can go to Walmart, you can go and vote. And he said if you trust the grocery store more than you trust your government why would you trust them with your ballot?
Fredericks: Or the liquor store.
Murdock: Or the liquor store. Exactly.
Fredericks: Just think about this, Corinne’s Murdock’s husband. So Jonny Cole drives 20 hours to cast one vote in Texas. I think that is an inspirational message. You know, we have young people in this country that they want to have a family and they want to have freedom. They want to have prosperity, they want to pursue their dreams.
So one young man drives 20 hours to cast one vote one time. Unbelievable. That should be an inspiration to anybody that gets a little down because you know, they don’t like what CNN says and they want to pull the covers over their head. Jonny Cole drove 20 hours to Texas to cast one vote in this election. You know, what we need a million Johnny Coles out there if we’re going to be successful. Tell your husband he’s my hero.
Murdock: I will.
Fredericks: I mean, I’ve never even heard of that. Driving 20 hours guest about that’s a true. That’s a true believer.
Murdock: Oh, yeah, he loved serving his country.
Fredericks: Inspirational for us all. Tell us about the story you’ve got going in The Virginia Star today.
Murdock: Alright, so a viral video went out of a woman who is a poll challenger and she was in Detroit at the I believe TCF Center and she was on Facebook Live recording how the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services came down and was barring poll challengers from entering or if they were leaving a room not letting them come back in.
She was saying that she reported some Republicans not being allowed back in. And fact-checkers actually came out this morning and said no, it was both sides people not being allowed in but this woman was saying they were telling them that they were at capacity and she’s on this video. And you can plainly see where she’s at. Nobody was around her in a 40,000 square foot building.
People were downstairs trying to do their jobs and trying to protect the votes no matter what you believe. I mean that was pretty much it. The fact-checkers came out and said, you know people both people were there on the poll watcher side. Now my concern is why they were borrowing any poll challenges at all. I mean, this is an important election, no matter what you believe.
Fredericks: So basically Whitmer was using her public health department to stop poll watchers from observing the counting of votes?
Murdock: That’s what it appears to be.
Fredericks: They’re using every lever of government to count the votes and darkness.
Murdock: Yep.
Fredericks: I mean, I’m just ask our listeners this Corinne if you’re counting votes and you want to be accurate and you want to be sure that they’re honest why are you making such an effort to do it in darkness.
Murdock: That beats me. That beats me John. I mean in this video she’s saying that she was actually watching some individuals, I mean both sides that were standing there and saying, “hey I want to challenge that ballot, and people from that District were ignoring the poll challengers. And I think that begs the question like, why are we rushing this? Why are we not taking a closer look at this.
Fredericks: So the poll watchers there in Michigan wanted to challenge certain ballots, which they have a right to do. That’s why they’re there. and the election officials just ignored them.
Murdock: Yes.
Fredericks: In Detroit, they just said well too bad screw you. So actually being there didn’t it didn’t matter because they wouldn’t let them ask a question.
Murdock: It’s what she was reporting. That’s what she was saying. And she was one of the officials that were helping make copies apparently for the GOP.
Fredericks: This is not going to be decided by partisan election officials or Governor Whitmer using her department of health to throw Republican poll watchers out. This thing is going to be decided in the courts. This is what banana republics do. Tell us about your other story.
Murdock: My other story was looking at the voter dumps or the ballot dumps that were happening. And there’s a lot of mixed reporting out there. There’s a lot of numbers that are flying around. And it’s all happening so fast, you know, you’re looking at these numbers coming in and then immediately these officials are turning around and saying, you know, we added a zero here. It was a mistake. We’re going to update that. Oh, you know, this just came in because we realized we forgot this.
And nobody can keep up with it and nobody can keep track of this. And you have to wonder like is this is on purpose or can people not just adjust right now to all these absentee ballots and we haven’t had an ability to put it in a system that can handle this. We covered a story just about a month ago and just followed up a week ago about up in Lynchburg where they weren’t able to handle that. And no matter what you believe the intentions were there they were admitting we’re overwhelmed and we can’t handle this.
Listen to the full show here:
– – –
Photo “Voting Booth” by Tim Evanson. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-07--Mayoral Results in Portsmouth, Roanoke and Suffolk

In addition to Richmond and Virginia Beach , the cities of Roanoke , Suffolk , and Portsmouth all held mayoral elections on Tuesday .
In Suffolk , Councilmember Michael Duman has a solid lead in unofficial results ; in Roanoke , incumbent Democrat Sherman Lea is ahead ; and in Portsmouth , Councilmember Shannon Glover has won , according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project ( VPAP ) .
Portsmouth ’ s city council and mayor have recently faced controversy over a Confederate monument and charges filed by the Portsmouth Police Department against Senator Louise Lucas ( D-Portsmouth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have frequently split along racial lines , including a recent vote to remove the city attorney and city manager , who are both Black .
Glover , who is Black , will replace retiring Mayor John Rowe , who is White .
According to The Virginian Pilot , results from Tuesday ’ s city council elections will shift the council from majority White to majority Black , leaving Councilmember Bill Moody as the only White member .
The council will also appoint someone to fill Glover ’ s vacant seat .
“ What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eye on our city and it just brought a very difficult situation for folks to deal with , ” Glover told Wavy.com .
Roanoke ’ s mayoral election pitted incumbent Lea against former mayor David Bowers , who was running as an independent but was “ once a career Democrat ” , according to Progress Virginia .
Bowers took an early lead , but after absentee ballots were counted , Lea pulled ahead according to The Roanoke Times .
Lea said his son kept him from getting discouraged .
“ He said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s going to be a change in the numbers , ' ” Lea told The Roanoke Times .
On his campaign website , Lea touts the city ’ s community safety , education , and COVID-19 response .
“ We have a great quality of life , a pre-pandemic growing economy , and are positioned well post-pandemic to attract new businesses and people.
” The city also elected its first majority-Black city council , according to WSLS .
In Suffolk , Councilmember Duman unseated Democratic incumbent Linda Johnson who has occupied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a veteran and owns a car dealership , according to his bio on the city website .
He has spoken favorably about Second Amendment issues as a councilmember .
When Virginia Citizens Defense League supporters asked the city to pass a Second Amendment resolution , the council declined , but Duman said , “ I applaud Suffolk 2A Advocacy group , the Virginia Citizens Defense League and others for communicating their concerns to their representatives , ” Duman said , according to the Suffolk News-Herald .
At a mayoral forum during the campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transparency and said he ’ d be willing to consider civilian review boards for law enforcement , although he emphasized that badly behaved officers are the minority .
According to the Suffolk News-Herald , Duman said , “ We can talk about the issues , but right now the issues are having means for our citizens and concerned parties , all our stakeholders , to communicate directly with our elected officials as they formulate their policies.
” Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Photo “ I Voted ” by Kelly Minars .
CC BY-SA 2.0 .

In addition to Richmond and Virginia Beach, the cities of Roanoke, Suffolk, and Portsmouth all held mayoral elections on Tuesday. In Suffolk, Councilmember Michael Duman has a solid lead in unofficial results; in Roanoke, incumbent Democrat Sherman Lea is ahead; and in Portsmouth, Councilmember Shannon Glover has won, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).
Portsmouth’s city council and mayor have recently faced controversy over a Confederate monument and charges filed by the Portsmouth Police Department against Senator Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth.) The council’s votes have frequently split along racial lines, including a recent vote to remove the city attorney and city manager, who are both Black. Glover, who is Black, will replace retiring Mayor John Rowe, who is White. According to The Virginian Pilot, results from Tuesday’s city council elections will shift the council from majority White to majority Black, leaving Councilmember Bill Moody as the only White member. The council will also appoint someone to fill Glover’s vacant seat.
“What happened at the monument was a black eye on our city and it just brought a very difficult situation for folks to deal with,” Glover told Wavy.com.
Roanoke’s mayoral election pitted incumbent Lea against former mayor David Bowers, who was running as an independent but was “once a career Democrat”, according to Progress Virginia. Bowers took an early lead, but after absentee ballots were counted, Lea pulled ahead according to The Roanoke Times.
Lea said his son kept him from getting discouraged. “He said, ‘Dad, stay with it. There’s going to be a change in the numbers,'” Lea told The Roanoke Times.
On his campaign website, Lea touts the city’s community safety, education, and COVID-19 response. “We have a great quality of life, a pre-pandemic growing economy, and are positioned well post-pandemic to attract new businesses and people.”
The city also elected its first majority-Black city council, according to WSLS.
In Suffolk, Councilmember Duman unseated Democratic incumbent Linda Johnson who has occupied the seat since 2006. Duman is a veteran and owns a car dealership, according to his bio on the city website. He has spoken favorably about Second Amendment issues as a councilmember.
When Virginia Citizens Defense League supporters asked the city to pass a Second Amendment resolution, the council declined, but Duman said, “I applaud Suffolk 2A Advocacy group, the Virginia Citizens Defense League and others for communicating their concerns to their representatives,” Duman said, according to the Suffolk News-Herald.
At a mayoral forum during the campaign, Duman said he would focus on transparency and said he’d be willing to consider civilian review boards for law enforcement, although he emphasized that badly behaved officers are the minority.
According to the Suffolk News-Herald, Duman said, “We can talk about the issues, but right now the issues are having means for our citizens and concerned parties, all our stakeholders, to communicate directly with our elected officials as they formulate their policies.”
– – –
Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “I Voted” by Kelly Minars. CC BY-SA 2.0.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-07--Gov. Walz Requests Federal Support for Hospitals, Long-Term Care Facilities as COVID-19 Cases Rise

Gov .
Tim Walz on Wednesday requested staffing support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA ) for long-term care facilities and hospitals .
“ Minnesota ’ s case counts are on the rise , which means the need for staffing support will continue to increase , ” Walz wrote in a letter to FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor .
“ Securing this additional staffing support , in addition to extending the current staffing support on the ground in Minnesota , would significantly assist our state during this tenuous time.
” Walz requested an additional 10 medical professionals to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state combat rising cases of COVID-19 and a 30-day extension of existing federal support .
For months , the state has attempted to reduce the number of deaths in long-term care facilities across the state – the hardest hit population from COVID-19 .
For months , the state has attempted to reduce the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes .
COVID-19 has killed 2,530 Minnesotans .
Long-term care residents accounted for 1,760 , or 70 % , of the states COVID-19 deaths .
The novel coronavirus has disproportionately harmed older people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ estimated that nursing homes and assisted living facilities account for 42 % of the nation ’ s total COVID-19 deaths .
In Minnesota , 92 % of those killed by COVID-19 were 60 years of age or older .
Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square .
A graduate of Hillsdale College , his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org .
Previously , he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi .

by Scott McClallen
Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday requested staffing support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for long-term care facilities and hospitals.
“Minnesota’s case counts are on the rise, which means the need for staffing support will continue to increase,” Walz wrote in a letter to FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor.
“Securing this additional staffing support, in addition to extending the current staffing support on the ground in Minnesota, would significantly assist our state during this tenuous time.”
Walz requested an additional 10 medical professionals to be sent to short-staffed facilities to help the state combat rising cases of COVID-19 and a 30-day extension of existing federal support.
For months, the state has attempted to reduce the number of deaths in long-term care facilities across the state – the hardest hit population from COVID-19.
For months, the state has attempted to reduce the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.
COVID-19 has killed 2,530 Minnesotans. Long-term care residents accounted for 1,760, or 70%, of the states COVID-19 deaths.
The novel coronavirus has disproportionately harmed older people.
The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity estimated that nursing homes and assisted living facilities account for 42% of the nation’s total COVID-19 deaths.
In Minnesota, 92% of those killed by COVID-19 were 60 years of age or older.
– – –
Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-07--New Ohio School Funding Plan Goes Before Legislature

Calling the way Ohio funds public schools unpredictable , confusing and inadequate , Ohio lawmakers want to overhaul the system with a formula that could mean a $ 1.99 billion increase in funding .
Changes could come sooner rather than later .
State Sens .
Peggy Lehner , R-Kettering , and Vernon Sykes , D-Akron , introduced a bill Thursday that teams with a current house bill .
It would change how the state determines the cost of educating a student , along with how the state decides how much a local district should contribute to that cost .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lame duck session , according to Lehner .
“ The lame duck is the appropriate place and provides the amount of time we need to pass this legislation , ” Lehner said during a news conference Friday .
Also , an analyst and consultant who worked with lawmakers to help develop the new system said it could ease the need for districts to ask voters for new local tax levies .
“ Is it going to eliminate the need for new levies completely ?
No , ” Michael Sobul said .
“ Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for it ?
We believe it will .
We believe districts will have the additional resources from the state to meet the needs of the student.
” If passed and fully phased in over six years , it will mean nearly $ 2 billion more annually for Ohio schools .
However , each specific General Assembly will have the flexibility to base funding decisions on statewide economic situations , according to State .
Rep. Gary Scherer , R-Circleville , said .
The plan looks at two basic steps .
First , what is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Second , how much can local communities pay ?
The proposed base cost plan would incorporate professional development for teachers , health , safety , social and emotional needs of students , academic and athletic activities , technology , building and district operations , leadership and staff .
A key change to local funding , according to the sponsors , is the new plan will base 60 % of a district ’ s local funding capacity on property values and 40 % on resident income .
Currently , only property values determine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
State Rep John Patterson , D-Jefferson , pointed to Ohio farmers who face an economic crisis as an example .
He said recently that farmers struggled selling crops , and , while property values remained high , wealth was virtually non-existent .
Under the current model , those farmers would have to pay more in property taxes to fund a local school district despite struggling financially .
Under the new plan , when fully in place and fully funded , all but nearly a dozen Ohio school districts would receive more state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local district to make local decisions on how to use the money .
For example , according to Sobul , if the formula calls for funding for three third-grade teachers , local districts have the ability to decide if that is what ’ s needed or use the money for something else .
Also , the plan changes how community schools and voucher systems are paid .
The money will go to the school educating the student , rather than the home district and then passed on .
“ It will ease some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vouchers and the local school systems , ” Sobul said .
An Ohio native , J.D .
Davidson is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years of experience in newspapers in Ohio , Georgia , Alabama and Texas .
He has served as a reporter , editor , managing editor and publisher .
Davidson is a regional editor for The Center Square .

by J. D. Davidson
Calling the way Ohio funds public schools unpredictable, confusing and inadequate, Ohio lawmakers want to overhaul the system with a formula that could mean a $1.99 billion increase in funding. Changes could come sooner rather than later.
State Sens. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, and Vernon Sykes, D-Akron, introduced a bill Thursday that teams with a current house bill. It would change how the state determines the cost of educating a student, along with how the state decides how much a local district should contribute to that cost.
The overhaul will be part of the upcoming lame duck session, according to Lehner.
“The lame duck is the appropriate place and provides the amount of time we need to pass this legislation,” Lehner said during a news conference Friday.
Also, an analyst and consultant who worked with lawmakers to help develop the new system said it could ease the need for districts to ask voters for new local tax levies.
“Is it going to eliminate the need for new levies completely? No,” Michael Sobul said. “Is it going to greatly ease the need for it? We believe it will. We believe districts will have the additional resources from the state to meet the needs of the student.”
If passed and fully phased in over six years, it will mean nearly $2 billion more annually for Ohio schools. However, each specific General Assembly will have the flexibility to base funding decisions on statewide economic situations, according to State. Rep. Gary Scherer, R-Circleville, said.
The plan looks at two basic steps. First, what is the base cost to educate a student? Second, how much can local communities pay?
The proposed base cost plan would incorporate professional development for teachers, health, safety, social and emotional needs of students, academic and athletic activities, technology, building and district operations, leadership and staff.
A key change to local funding, according to the sponsors, is the new plan will base 60% of a district’s local funding capacity on property values and 40% on resident income. Currently, only property values determine how much a local district can pay.
State Rep John Patterson, D-Jefferson, pointed to Ohio farmers who face an economic crisis as an example. He said recently that farmers struggled selling crops, and, while property values remained high, wealth was virtually non-existent.
“The lame duck is the appropriate place and provides the amount of time we need to pass this legislation,” Lehner said during a news conference Friday.
Also, an analyst and consultant who worked with lawmakers to help develop the new system said it could ease the need for districts to ask voters for new local tax levies.
“Is it going to eliminate the need for new levies completely? No,” Michael Sobul said. “Is it going to greatly ease the need for it? We believe it will. We believe districts will have the additional resources from the state to meet the needs of the student.”
If passed and fully phased in over six years, it will mean nearly $2 billion more annually for Ohio schools. However, each specific General Assembly will have the flexibility to base funding decisions on statewide economic situations, according to State. Rep. Gary Scherer, R-Circleville, said.
The plan looks at two basic steps. First, what is the base cost to educate a student? Second, how much can local communities pay
The proposed base cost plan would incorporate professional development for teachers, health, safety, social and emotional needs of students, academic and athletic activities, technology, building and district operations, leadership and staff.
A key change to local funding, according to the sponsors, is the new plan will base 60% of a district’s local funding capacity on property values and 40% on resident income. Currently, only property values determine how much a local district can pay.
State Rep John Patterson, D-Jefferson, pointed to Ohio farmers who face an economic crisis as an example. He said recently that farmers struggled selling crops, and, while property values remained high, wealth was virtually non-existent.
– – –
J.D. Davidson is a reporter with The Center Square.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-07--Michigan House Republicans Announce 2021 Leadership

Michigan House Republicans announced new leadership on Thursday after they secured a majority in the Nov. 3 election for the sixth straight term .
Rep. Jason Wentworth , R-Farwell , an Army veteran , former law enforcement official , and third-term legislator , was chosen as the next speaker of the House of Representatives .
“ I am honored by my colleagues ’ confidence , and I am eager to work with them in the majority to continue to build on the successes of the last legislature , ” Wentworth said .
“ I look forward to the continued partnership @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leader Mike Shirkey .
We will continue to extend a hand of collaboration to our governor with hope and confidence she will take it so we can work together and solve problems for the people of this state.
” Wentworth assured Michiganders that House Republicans will continue voicing resident concerns in Lansing under his leadership .
“ These are challenging times – politically , socially , and economically – and people are worried about their future , ” Wentworth added .
“ It is our duty to demonstrate steady leadership and bold solutions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ll do.
” Wentworth described his leadership style as “ quiet , confident , ” and team-focused .
Regarding the Legislature ’ s relationship with Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer , Wentworth said he looked forward to working with the first-term Democrat .
However , he called Whitmer ’ s Thursday request for the Legislature to codify a statewide mask mandate to be a “ press stunt ” since she unilaterally issued a mask rule through the state health department .
Michiganders voted for Democrats for president , governor , and U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Republican House .
Asked why , Wentworth said , “ It ’ s the representatives who truly represent their interests and their mission .
I think that ’ s why they keep sending us back to the House .
We ’ re the people ’ s chamber , and their voices are being heard by our leadership.
” Wentworth said he considered property tax relief for businesses that were shut down by COVID-19 as a “ top priority.
” Wentworth , 38 , is the current speaker pro-tempore who led the historic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insurance system in 2019 .
“ I have spent the past four years working to develop policy solutions at the grassroots level and to bring the voice of Michigan families into everything we do in Lansing , ” Wentworth said .
“ I ’ m a father of three and consider my children and their future in every decision I make .
In the 101st Legislature , we will make major decisions and create life-changing policies only after seeking the input of the people they impact.
” “ I know that Rep. Wentworth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his ability to work with people of different thought and philosophy to lead the House of Representatives with integrity and effectiveness , ” Shea said in a statement .
“ We are proud to have a member of our community serve as the next Speaker of the Michigan House.
” The full House of Representatives will formally vote for the next Speaker of the House when the 101st Legislature convenes in January , which is when all leadership positions will become official .
Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ graduate of Hillsdale College , his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org .
Previously , he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi .

by Scott McClallen
Michigan House Republicans announced new leadership on Thursday after they secured a majority in the Nov. 3 election for the sixth straight term.
Rep. Jason Wentworth, R-Farwell, an Army veteran, former law enforcement official, and third-term legislator, was chosen as the next speaker of the House of Representatives.
“I am honored by my colleagues’ confidence, and I am eager to work with them in the majority to continue to build on the successes of the last legislature,” Wentworth said.
“I look forward to the continued partnership with the state Senate and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey. We will continue to extend a hand of collaboration to our governor with hope and confidence she will take it so we can work together and solve problems for the people of this state.”
Wentworth assured Michiganders that House Republicans will continue voicing resident concerns in Lansing under his leadership.
“These are challenging times – politically, socially, and economically – and people are worried about their future,” Wentworth added. “It is our duty to demonstrate steady leadership and bold solutions, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.”
Wentworth described his leadership style as “quiet, confident,” and team-focused.
Regarding the Legislature’s relationship with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Wentworth said he looked forward to working with the first-term Democrat.
However, he called Whitmer’s Thursday request for the Legislature to codify a statewide mask mandate to be a “press stunt” since she unilaterally issued a mask rule through the state health department.
Michiganders voted for Democrats for president, governor, and U.S. Senate, but again chose to elect a Republican House.
Asked why, Wentworth said, “It’s the representatives who truly represent their interests and their mission. I think that’s why they keep sending us back to the House. We’re the people’s chamber, and their voices are being heard by our leadership.”
Wentworth said he considered property tax relief for businesses that were shut down by COVID-19 as a “top priority.”
Wentworth, 38, is the current speaker pro-tempore who led the historic reform of Michigan’s no-fault auto insurance system in 2019.
“I have spent the past four years working to develop policy solutions at the grassroots level and to bring the voice of Michigan families into everything we do in Lansing,” Wentworth said. “I’m a father of three and consider my children and their future in every decision I make. In the 101st Legislature, we will make major decisions and create life-changing policies only after seeking the input of the people they impact.”
Gladwin County Sheriff Mike Shea expressed support for Wentworth.
“I know that Rep. Wentworth will use his strong, conservative values and his ability to work with people of different thought and philosophy to lead the House of Representatives with integrity and effectiveness,” Shea said in a statement. “We are proud to have a member of our community serve as the next Speaker of the Michigan House.”
Other incoming leadership include:
Speaker Pro-Tempore Pam Hornberger of Chesterfield Township
Associate Speaker Pro-Tempore Sarah Lightner of Springport
Associate Speaker Pro-Tempore Brad Paquette of Niles
Majority Floor Leader Ben Frederick of Owosso
Assistant Majority Floor Leader Ann Bollin of Brighton
Assistant Majority Floor Leader Julie Calley of Portland
Majority Whip Andrea Schroeder of Clarkston
Deputy Whip Jack O’Malley of Lake Ann
Caucus Chair Matt Hall of Marshall
Caucus Vice Chair Andrew Beeler of Fort Gratiot
The full House of Representatives will formally vote for the next Speaker of the House when the 101st Legislature convenes in January, which is when all leadership positions will become official.
– – –
Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-08--Report: Wisconsin Election Clerks May Have Illegally Altered Thousands of Ballots

Poll workers in Wisconsin may have unlawfully altered thousands of mail-in ballots due to unlawful guidance from the state ’ s election commission , according to a report .
According to Wisconsin law , an absentee ballot requires that it be signed by a witness who also lists his or her address .
Should the ballot not contain the a witness address , the ballot is disallowed and must be returned to the voter so that the witness can provide that information .
However , according to a report from the “ Dan O ’ Donnell Show , ” sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” in the state wrote in the witness signatures themselves .
Furthermore , the report claims that the election workers chose to write in the addresses because they were illegally advised to do so by the Wisconsin Elections Commission ( WEC ) .
If the poll workers did in fact write the addresses in , the ballots are invalid .
“ The statute is very , very clear , ” said retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman .
“ If an absentee ballot does not have a witness address on it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballot is not valid.
” According to O ’ Donnell , “ The WEC sent uniform instructions to voters with their mail-in ballots that informed them that ‘ your witness must sign and provide their full address ( street number , street name , city ) in the Certification of Witness section ’ and warned that ‘ if any of the required information above is missing , your ballot will not be counted . '
” Though , according to O ’ Donnell , additional guidance was sent to clerks in October that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ portion of the ballot themselves , to prevent it from being invalidated .
“ Please note that the clerk should attempt to resolve any missing witness address information prior to Election Day if possible , and this can be done through reliable information ( personal knowledge , voter registration information , through a phone call with the voter or witness ) , ” the WEC wrote .
“ The witness does not need to appear to add a missing address.
” Judge Gableman says that directive “ turned the statute on its head.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ contradiction to the statute , the Wisconsin Elections Commission gave guidance–that is , cover–to all 72 county clerks and turned the statute on his head , ” Gableman explained .
“ They said , ‘ Gee , we know the law says an absentee ballot without the witness address is not valid , but county clerk , you have a duty to go ahead and look up on your own the witness ’ address if there ’ s no address on the absentee ballot.
” The WEC appears to be aware of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the commission told clerks to write the addresses in using red ink , which would make the ballots easier to locate during a recount .
The Republican Party of Wisconsin estimates that thousands of witness addresses may have been changed , thus invalidating the ballots on which they appeared .
The statutory remedy for this is to subtract a commensurate number of votes for the candidates for whom those ballots were cast , meaning that vote totals may substantially change .
President Trump ’ s campaign is investigating the scale to which clerks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well as several other incidents that it has termed ‘ irregularities.
’ President Trump has also publicly called for a recount of Wisconsin ’ s vote .
As it stands , Joe Biden won the state by roughly 20,000 votes .
In addition to investigating potentially invalid ballots in Wisconsin , the Trump legal team is also looking at potential irregularities and allegations of fraud in several other states .

Update: Reid Magney, public information officer for the Wisconsin Election Commission, says clerks did not alter ballots, but rather filled in witness addresses on ballot certification where not completed. The “Certification of Witness” on absentee ballot envelopes requires the voter’s signature, a witness signature and witness address, without which the ballot, by law, cannot be counted. However, the law does not specify who affixes the witness address. Wisconsin Election Commission guidance in effect since October 2016, and agreed to by Republican and Democrat Commission members, is that a clerk can use “reliable information (personal knowledge, voter registration information, through a phone call with the voter or witness)” to resolve missing witness address information. What is not known at this time is how and whether this guidance was followed on the thousands of certifications in question.
Poll workers in Wisconsin may have unlawfully altered thousands of mail-in ballots due to unlawful guidance from the state’s election commission, according to a report.
According to Wisconsin law, an absentee ballot requires that it be signed by a witness who also lists his or her address. Should the ballot not contain the a witness address, the ballot is disallowed and must be returned to the voter so that the witness can provide that information.
However, according to a report from the “Dan O’Donnell Show,” sources claim that “clerks and vote counters” in the state wrote in the witness signatures themselves. Furthermore, the report claims that the election workers chose to write in the addresses because they were illegally advised to do so by the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC).
If the poll workers did in fact write the addresses in, the ballots are invalid.
“The statute is very, very clear,” said retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. “If an absentee ballot does not have a witness address on it, it’s not valid. That ballot is not valid.”
According to O’Donnell, “The WEC sent uniform instructions to voters with their mail-in ballots that informed them that ‘your witness must sign and provide their full address (street number, street name, city) in the Certification of Witness section’ and warned that ‘if any of the required information above is missing, your ballot will not be counted.'”
Though, according to O’Donnell, additional guidance was sent to clerks in October that instructed them to fill-in the witness address portion of the ballot themselves, to prevent it from being invalidated.
“Please note that the clerk should attempt to resolve any missing witness address information prior to Election Day if possible, and this can be done through reliable information (personal knowledge, voter registration information, through a phone call with the voter or witness),” the WEC wrote. “The witness does not need to appear to add a missing address.”
Judge Gableman says that directive “turned the statute on its head.”
“In defiance of and direct contradiction to the statute, the Wisconsin Elections Commission gave guidance–that is, cover–to all 72 county clerks and turned the statute on his head,” Gableman explained. “They said, ‘Gee, we know the law says an absentee ballot without the witness address is not valid, but county clerk, you have a duty to go ahead and look up on your own the witness’ address if there’s no address on the absentee ballot.”
The WEC appears to be aware of the questionable legality of their directive given that the commission told clerks to write the addresses in using red ink, which would make the ballots easier to locate during a recount.
O’Donnell writes:
The Republican Party of Wisconsin estimates that thousands of witness addresses may have been changed, thus invalidating the ballots on which they appeared. The statutory remedy for this is to subtract a commensurate number of votes for the candidates for whom those ballots were cast, meaning that vote totals may substantially change. President Trump’s campaign is investigating the scale to which clerks and election workers were altering ballots as well as several other incidents that it has termed ‘irregularities.’ President Trump has also publicly called for a recount of Wisconsin’s vote.
As it stands, Joe Biden won the state by roughly 20,000 votes. In addition to investigating potentially invalid ballots in Wisconsin, the Trump legal team is also looking at potential irregularities and allegations of fraud in several other states.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-07--Georgia Counties Using Same Software as Michigan Counties Also Encounter ‘Glitch’

Two Georgia counties using the same electronic voting software as a Michigan county that experienced a glitch have also reported encountering glitches during the 2020 election .
Voting machines crashed in Georgia ’ s Spalding and Morgan Counties on Tuesday morning because of what election officials described as a “ glitch.
” A Georgia election official said that a technical glitch that halted voting in the two counties was caused by a vendor uploading an update to their election machines the night before the election , according to a report by Politico .
“ That is something that they don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve never seen them update anything the day before the election , ” said Marcia Ridley , elections supervisor at Spalding County Board of Election .
Ridley added that she did not know what the upload contained .
The report said that the Georgia counties used software made by Dominion Voting Systems — the same software used in most Michigan counties , according to the Detroit Free Press .
Dominion Voting Systems is also used in Michigan ’ s Antrim County , the Detroit Free Press reported .
In Antrim County , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were meant for Republican candidates to be wrongly counted for Democrats , according to Michigan Republican Party chairwoman Laura Cox , who added that 47 other counties in Michigan used the same software that experienced the reported glitch .
The glitch , which “ caused a miscalculation of the votes ” in Antrim County , was so detrimental that it had actually caused the county to flip blue in favor of Joe Biden .
The presidential election results have since been corrected , flipping the county back from Biden to President Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official in Michigan ’ s Oakland County said he found out that he won reelection in a race he initially thought was lost , because a computer glitch was fixed .
As for Georgia , the state reportedly implemented Dominion Voting Systems , as well as KnowInk — which makes electronic poll books to sign in voters — in every county for the first time this year .
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ ARmastrangelo , on Parler at @ alana , and on Instagram .

Two Georgia counties using the same electronic voting software as a Michigan county that experienced a glitch have also reported encountering glitches during the 2020 election.
Voting machines crashed in Georgia’s Spalding and Morgan Counties on Tuesday morning because of what election officials described as a “glitch.”
A Georgia election official said that a technical glitch that halted voting in the two counties was caused by a vendor uploading an update to their election machines the night before the election, according to a report by Politico.
“That is something that they don’t ever do. I’ve never seen them update anything the day before the election,” said Marcia Ridley, elections supervisor at Spalding County Board of Election.
Ridley added that she did not know what the upload contained.
The report said that the Georgia counties used software made by Dominion Voting Systems — the same software used in most Michigan counties, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Dominion Voting Systems is also used in Michigan’s Antrim County, the Detroit Free Press reported.
In Antrim County, a glitch caused thousands of Michigan ballots that were meant for Republican candidates to be wrongly counted for Democrats, according to Michigan Republican Party chairwoman Laura Cox, who added that 47 other counties in Michigan used the same software that experienced the reported glitch.
The glitch, which “caused a miscalculation of the votes” in Antrim County, was so detrimental that it had actually caused the county to flip blue in favor of Joe Biden. The presidential election results have since been corrected, flipping the county back from Biden to President Donald Trump.
On Friday, a Republican county official in Michigan’s Oakland County said he found out that he won reelection in a race he initially thought was lost, because a computer glitch was fixed.
As for Georgia, the state reportedly implemented Dominion Voting Systems, as well as KnowInk — which makes electronic poll books to sign in voters — in every county for the first time this year.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-07--Biden Declares Victory Over Trump, White House Says Race Isn’t Over

Democrat Joe Biden declared victory Saturday in his race to win the White House after several national news outlets called him the winner over President Donald Trump .
“ America , I ’ m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country , ” Biden said on his Twitter account .
“ The work ahead of us will be hard , but I promise you this : I will be a President for all Americans – whether you voted for me or not .
I will keep the faith that you have placed in me.
” Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ edited to call him “ President-Elect.
” Biden ’ s running mate , U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California , posted a video of her congratulatory phone call with Biden : “ We did it , Joe .
You ’ re going to be the next president of the United States , ” she said .
Harris will be the first woman to serve as vice president in America ’ s history .
Trump has not conceded , and a statement from the White House said the race isn ’ t over .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is rushing to falsely pose as the winner , and why his media allies are crying so hard to help him : they don ’ t want the truth to be exposed , ” the statement began .
“ The simple fact is this election is far from over .
Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states , let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts , or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ News , The Associated Press and others gave Biden the win Saturday in Pennsylvania , where the former vice president was born .
Pennsylvania ’ s 20 electoral college votes would give Biden 273 in total by NBC ’ s and CNN ’ s unofficial counts , and 284 by AP ’ s and Fox ’ s counts ; 270 are needed to win the presidency .
The AP and Fox News called Arizona for Biden on Wednesday while CNN and NBC have not as votes continue to be counted there .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in battleground states , including Pennsylvania , Nevada and Michigan .
Trump ’ s legal team held a news conference Saturday in Philadelphia shortly after the race was called , claiming widespread voter fraud .
Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said at the news conference that a number of federal lawsuits will be filed Monday in states across the country challenging counting methods .
Giuliani said Trump would not concede when hundreds of thousands of ballots are in question in Pennsylvania alone .
With 98 % of the vote counted in Pennsylvania , Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s 3,311,310 , a 49.6 % to 49.1 % advantage and a difference of about 34,000 votes .
When asked about the media outlets calling the race for Biden , Giuliani scoffed .
“ They don ’ t decide the election , ” he said .
“ Don ’ t be ridiculous .
Networks don ’ t get to decide elections .
Courts do.
” The White House statement said the Trump campaign will begin prosecuting its case Monday .
“ The American people are entitled to an honest election : that means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counting any illegal ballots , ” it said .
Throughout the campaign , Trump has criticized the expansion of mail-in voting , saying mail-in ballots are much more susceptible to fraud .
In Pennsylvania and other states , Giuliani said Republican poll watchers were not allowed to observe election officials as they opened and registered mail-in ballots as required by law .
Legal challenges aside , Biden will be the 46th president of the United States after serving as vice president under the nation ’ s 44th president , Barack Obama .
Dan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Center Square .
He welcomes your comments .
Contact Dan at [ email protected ]

by Dan McCaleb
Democrat Joe Biden declared victory Saturday in his race to win the White House after several national news outlets called him the winner over President Donald Trump.
“America, I’m honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country,” Biden said on his Twitter account. “The work ahead of us will be hard, but I promise you this: I will be a President for all Americans – whether you voted for me or not. I will keep the faith that you have placed in me.”
Biden’s Twitter account bio also was edited to call him “President-Elect.”
Biden’s running mate, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, posted a video of her congratulatory phone call with Biden: “We did it, Joe. You’re going to be the next president of the United States,” she said.
Harris will be the first woman to serve as vice president in America’s history.
Trump has not conceded, and a statement from the White House said the race isn’t over.
“We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are crying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed,” the statement began. “The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.”
NBC News, CNN, Fox News, The Associated Press and others gave Biden the win Saturday in Pennsylvania, where the former vice president was born. Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral college votes would give Biden 273 in total by NBC’s and CNN’s unofficial counts, and 284 by AP’s and Fox’s counts; 270 are needed to win the presidency. The AP and Fox News called Arizona for Biden on Wednesday while CNN and NBC have not as votes continue to be counted there.
Trump is mounting a number of legal challenges in battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Nevada and Michigan.
Trump’s legal team held a news conference Saturday in Philadelphia shortly after the race was called, claiming widespread voter fraud.
Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said at the news conference that a number of federal lawsuits will be filed Monday in states across the country challenging counting methods. Giuliani said Trump would not concede when hundreds of thousands of ballots are in question in Pennsylvania alone.
With 98% of the vote counted in Pennsylvania, Biden has received 3,345,724 votes to Trump’s 3,311,310, a 49.6% to 49.1% advantage and a difference of about 34,000 votes.
When asked about the media outlets calling the race for Biden, Giuliani scoffed.
“They don’t decide the election,” he said. “Don’t be ridiculous. Networks don’t get to decide elections. Courts do.”
The White House statement said the Trump campaign will begin prosecuting its case Monday.
“The American people are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots,” it said.
Throughout the campaign, Trump has criticized the expansion of mail-in voting, saying mail-in ballots are much more susceptible to fraud.
In Pennsylvania and other states, Giuliani said Republican poll watchers were not allowed to observe election officials as they opened and registered mail-in ballots as required by law.
Legal challenges aside, Biden will be the 46th president of the United States after serving as vice president under the nation’s 44th president, Barack Obama.
– – –
Dan McCaleb is the executive editor of The Center Square. He welcomes your comments. Contact Dan at [email protected]


thetennesseestar--2020-11-07--The Star News Network Launches Election2020Unmasked.com and 24hr Tip Line

NASHVILLE , Tennessee – The Star News Network launched Election2020Unmasked.com Friday in an effort to circumvent the suppressive practices of social media giants and search engines in order to keep readers informed on the tumultuous state of the presidential election .
The single-issue news page – hosted at The Tennessee Star – contains aggregated content from a broad array of news outlets featuring the many examples of voting irregularities , questionable election result claims , and dubious counting practices across the country .
In addition to the many articles and reports , Election2020Unmasked.com features a 24 hour tip line .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day or night to report incidents they feel are outside the boundaries of best practices for free and fair elections .
People may also email [ email protected ] .
“ We agree with so many others that 2020 is the most important election in our lifetimes , and instead of an orderly vote-counting process , we are seeing a level of chaos we could never imagine , ” said Christina Botteri , Executive Editor of the Star News Network .
“ We are dedicated to bringing truth , transparency , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we will not stop until we and the American people have exactly that.
” The Star News Network ( SNN ) is a family of digital newspapers that includes : The Tennessee Star , The Ohio Star , The Minnesota Sun , The Virginia Star , andThe Michigan Star .
SNN is owned by Star News Digital Media , and was co-founded in 2017 by Michael Patrick Leahy , its CEO and Editor-in-Chief ; and Christina Botteri , who serves as Executive Editor and CTO .

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Star News Network launched Election2020Unmasked.com Friday in an effort to circumvent the suppressive practices of social media giants and search engines in order to keep readers informed on the tumultuous state of the presidential election.
The single-issue news page – hosted at The Tennessee Star – contains aggregated content from a broad array of news outlets featuring the many examples of voting irregularities, questionable election result claims, and dubious counting practices across the country.
In addition to the many articles and reports, Election2020Unmasked.com features a 24 hour tip line. People can call 615-747-1500 any time of the day or night to report incidents they feel are outside the boundaries of best practices for free and fair elections. People may also email [email protected].
“We agree with so many others that 2020 is the most important election in our lifetimes, and instead of an orderly vote-counting process, we are seeing a level of chaos we could never imagine,” said Christina Botteri, Executive Editor of the Star News Network. “We are dedicated to bringing truth, transparency, and confidence to the election results – and we will not stop until we and the American people have exactly that.”
The Star News Network (SNN) is a family of digital newspapers that includes: The Tennessee Star, The Ohio Star, The Minnesota Sun, The Virginia Star, andThe Michigan Star. SNN is owned by Star News Digital Media, and was co-founded in 2017 by Michael Patrick Leahy, its CEO and Editor-in-Chief; and Christina Botteri, who serves as Executive Editor and CTO.


thetennesseestar--2020-11-07--Fact Check: Seven Claims of Voter Fraud During the 2020 Presidential Election

As might be expected during the undecided presidential contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden , pundits and typical voters alike are voicing more concerns about voter fraud and unfair election practices .
Already numerous internet rumors have been proven wrong or lack evidence .
That doesn ’ t mean every assertion will prove to be without merit , however .
Conversely , some legitimate questions about ballot counting have enough evidence behind them to support litigation .
That doesn ’ t mean such questions won ’ t ultimately have satisfactory answers .
Here ’ s a sampling—based on what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ postelection chaos .
One popular claim circulating on social media and at least one viral email goes like this : “ Wisconsin magically now has more votes than registered voters.
” That essentially is a “ fake ” claim , said J. Christian Adams , president of the conservative-leaning election integrity watchdog group Public Interest Legal Foundation .
“ Wisconsin has same-day voter registration , so you are obviously always going to have more voters than registered voters , ” Adams told The Daily Signal .
Adams noted that by Thursday afternoon , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling for investigations into bogus rumors floating on the internet .
FactCheck.org determined that the number of registered voters as of Nov. 1 actually exceeded the actual voters Nov. 3 by 388,000 .
An example of a legitimate problem is in Maricopa County , Arizona , Adams said , where 11 voters are suing the county for not “ curing ” their vote , meaning not providing a new ballot when a ballot is somehow spoiled .
The lead client in the case , Laurie Aguilera , represented by the Public Interest Legal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vindicate her voting rights .
Aguilera is joined by 10 unnamed plaintiffs , dubbed “ Does I-X.
” The lawsuit asks the court to order that election officials identify and correct all ballots that were denied because poll workers had required voters to use Sharpie markers in filling out ballots .
Aguilera was issued a Sharpie to mark up her ballot on Election Day , according to the lawsuit .
That ’ s despite established state guidance that felt-tip writing utensils not be used .
Aguilera said she became alarmed when she noticed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her ballot , according to the lawsuit .
Election officials instructed her to feed her ballot through the counting machine .
When the machine failed to accept her ballot , the attending poll worker cancelled the ballot and Aguilera ’ s request for a replacement ballot was denied , according to the lawsuit .
“ These voters were denied the right to vote .
Arizona election officials allegedly were part of the problem , and denial of the right to vote should not occur because of failures in the process of casting a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public statement .
The suit asks that ballots denied because of the supplied Sharpies be identified and allowed to be cured ; that voters who were given felt-tip markers be given the chance to be present to observe the handling and adjudication of their ballots ; and that the court order their votes to be tabulated .
Maricopa County officials pushed back , saying that Sharpies in fact may be used , referring to an Election Day video that said ink could not bleed through ballots .
Another claim about Wisconsin is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Biden between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning .
The left-leaning PolitiFact identified a Facebook post as being the source of this rumor , which the social media site flagged .
PolitiFact called this claim “ false , ” quoting Reid Magney , a spokesman for the Wisconsin Elections Commission , as stating , “ Absolutely no ballots were ‘ found.
’ ” Magney added : “ All of the election results that were reported in the early morning hours of Wednesday were valid ballots that were received by 8 p.m. on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aside from social media and a blog post , no major Republican or conservative figures have made a case for this claim .
A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Detroit asserts that Democratic observers are reviewing thousands of spoiled ballots without an Republican observer present , as required by law .
About 100 counting groups operating in Wayne County determined that ballots rejected by voting machines had to be reviewed .
State law allows a Democrat and Republican election observer to review each ineligible ballot and make a mutual determination of the voter ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allege that only Democratic observers were correcting such ballots in violation of state law , the lawsuit says .
“ The law in Michigan requires Republican and Democrat observers , ” Phill Kline , a former Kansas attorney general who now directs the Amistad Project and represents the plaintiffs in the case , told The Daily Signal .
Kline said every ballot could be perfectly legitimate , but the public needs to have confidence in the process and so far , Wayne County has not been transparent .
“ The lawsuit is only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public .
We need to know how the votes are being counted , ” Kline said .
“ We know they are violating state law .
That makes fraud easier.
” The suit calls for officials to quarantine the ballots until representatives of both parties have evaluated them .
Biden supporters assert that the charge of no Republican observers is “ unfounded.
” Another claim stated that Michigan at one point gained 138,339 ballots , all marked for Biden and none for Trump .
This didn ’ t require hostile fact-checking .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is false .
The Detroit Free Press reported that this rumor began when Matt Mackowiak , chairman of Texas ’ Travis County Republican Party , first tweeted that Biden received 100 % of newly counted votes .
An attachment showed two election maps .
But Mackowiak deleted the tweet and posted another tweet saying : “ I have now learned the MI update referenced was a typo in one county.
” It ’ s nearly impossible for such a thing to happen anywhere , said Hans von Spakovsky , manager of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Foundation .
“ There are a lot of stories and rumors that turn out not to be true , ” von Spakovsky told The Daily Signal .
“ If it was true that tens of thousands of votes appeared and every single one was for one candidate , that would of course raise grave suspicions , particularly this year when even black and Hispanic voters supported Trump in surprisingly high numbers .
In 2016 , Trump won 62 % of the vote in Antrim County , Michigan , in his race against Democrat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county tabulated votes this week , Biden reportedly beat Trump by 3,000 votes .
Republicans at the local and national level , including American Conservative Union President Matt Schlapp , flagged this development as unusual .
The questions got results when the Antrim County Clerk ’ s Office announced it would count the ballots manually .
The county has about 24,000 residents .
“ There is no way that we flipped from 62 % Trump in 2016 to upside-down this time around , ” said state Rep. Triston Cole , a Republican , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Interest Legal Foundation also filed a lawsuit against the state of Pennsylvania for failing to maintain and update voter rolls after finding 21,000 apparently deceased voters still on the rolls .
That does not mean anyone was falsely voting under the names .
However , critics have said unclean voter rolls present the opportunity for fraud .
Fred Lucas is chief national affairs correspondent for The Daily Signal and co-host of “ The Right Side of History ” podcast .
Lucas is also the author of “ Abuse of Power : Inside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
”

by Fred Lucas
As might be expected during the undecided presidential contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, pundits and typical voters alike are voicing more concerns about voter fraud and unfair election practices.
Already numerous internet rumors have been proven wrong or lack evidence. That doesn’t mean every assertion will prove to be without merit, however.
Conversely, some legitimate questions about ballot counting have enough evidence behind them to support litigation. That doesn’t mean such questions won’t ultimately have satisfactory answers.
Here’s a sampling—based on what currently is known—of seven claims in the postelection chaos.
1. Wisconsin Votes vs. Registered Voters?
One popular claim circulating on social media and at least one viral email goes like this: “Wisconsin magically now has more votes than registered voters.”
That essentially is a “fake” claim, said J. Christian Adams, president of the conservative-leaning election integrity watchdog group Public Interest Legal Foundation.
“Wisconsin has same-day voter registration, so you are obviously always going to have more voters than registered voters,” Adams told The Daily Signal.
Adams noted that by Thursday afternoon, he had gotten at least 20 emails calling for investigations into bogus rumors floating on the internet.
FactCheck.org determined that the number of registered voters as of Nov. 1 actually exceeded the actual voters Nov. 3 by 388,000.
2. No Sharpies in Arizona?
An example of a legitimate problem is in Maricopa County, Arizona, Adams said, where 11 voters are suing the county for not “curing” their vote, meaning not providing a new ballot when a ballot is somehow spoiled.
The lead client in the case, Laurie Aguilera, represented by the Public Interest Legal Foundation, is asking a court to vindicate her voting rights. Aguilera is joined by 10 unnamed plaintiffs, dubbed “Does I-X.”
The lawsuit asks the court to order that election officials identify and correct all ballots that were denied because poll workers had required voters to use Sharpie markers in filling out ballots.
Aguilera was issued a Sharpie to mark up her ballot on Election Day, according to the lawsuit. That’s despite established state guidance that felt-tip writing utensils not be used.
Aguilera said she became alarmed when she noticed ink bleeding to the other side of her ballot, according to the lawsuit. Election officials instructed her to feed her ballot through the counting machine.
When the machine failed to accept her ballot, the attending poll worker cancelled the ballot and Aguilera’s request for a replacement ballot was denied, according to the lawsuit.
“These voters were denied the right to vote. Arizona election officials allegedly were part of the problem, and denial of the right to vote should not occur because of failures in the process of casting a ballot,” Adams said in a public statement.
The suit asks that ballots denied because of the supplied Sharpies be identified and allowed to be cured; that voters who were given felt-tip markers be given the chance to be present to observe the handling and adjudication of their ballots; and that the court order their votes to be tabulated.
Maricopa County officials pushed back, saying that Sharpies in fact may be used, referring to an Election Day video that said ink could not bleed through ballots.
Did you know we use Sharpies in the Vote Centers so the ink doesn’t smudge as ballots are counted onsite? New offset columns on the ballots means bleed through won’t impact your vote! Find a location before the polls close at 7 p.m. today at https://t.co/8YEmXbWyRL. pic.twitter.com/KKG2O8rQhf — Maricopa County Elections Department (@MaricopaVote) November 3, 2020
3. Wisconsin Ballot Dump?
Another claim about Wisconsin is that someone discovered more than 112,000 ballots marked for Biden between 3:30 and 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
The left-leaning PolitiFact identified a Facebook post as being the source of this rumor, which the social media site flagged.
PolitiFact called this claim “false,” quoting Reid Magney, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Elections Commission, as stating, “Absolutely no ballots were ‘found.’”
Magney added: “All of the election results that were reported in the early morning hours of Wednesday were valid ballots that were received by 8 p.m. on Election Day according to the law.”
Aside from social media and a blog post, no major Republican or conservative figures have made a case for this claim.
4. Who’s Counting in Michigan?
A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Detroit asserts that Democratic observers are reviewing thousands of spoiled ballots without an Republican observer present, as required by law.
About 100 counting groups operating in Wayne County determined that ballots rejected by voting machines had to be reviewed.
State law allows a Democrat and Republican election observer to review each ineligible ballot and make a mutual determination of the voter’s intent. However, several witnesses allege that only Democratic observers were correcting such ballots in violation of state law, the lawsuit says.
“The law in Michigan requires Republican and Democrat observers,” Phill Kline, a former Kansas attorney general who now directs the Amistad Project and represents the plaintiffs in the case, told The Daily Signal.
Kline said every ballot could be perfectly legitimate, but the public needs to have confidence in the process and so far, Wayne County has not been transparent.
“The lawsuit is only asking to open the record to the public. We need to know how the votes are being counted,” Kline said. “We know they are violating state law. That makes fraud easier.”
The suit calls for officials to quarantine the ballots until representatives of both parties have evaluated them.
Biden supporters assert that the charge of no Republican observers is “unfounded.”
5. 138,000 for Biden, 0 for Trump?
Another claim stated that Michigan at one point gained 138,339 ballots, all marked for Biden and none for Trump.
This didn’t require hostile fact-checking. The person who first made the assertion admits it is false.
The Detroit Free Press reported that this rumor began when Matt Mackowiak, chairman of Texas’ Travis County Republican Party, first tweeted that Biden received 100% of newly counted votes. An attachment showed two election maps.
But Mackowiak deleted the tweet and posted another tweet saying: “I have now learned the MI update referenced was a typo in one county.”
This tweet was taken and share honestly. I have now learned the MI update referenced was a typo in one county. I have deleted the original tweet. pic.twitter.com/NXQINWDbEH — Matt Mackowiak (@MattMackowiak) November 4, 2020
It’s nearly impossible for such a thing to happen anywhere, said Hans von Spakovsky, manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation.
“There are a lot of stories and rumors that turn out not to be true,” von Spakovsky told The Daily Signal. “If it was true that tens of thousands of votes appeared and every single one was for one candidate, that would of course raise grave suspicions, particularly this year when even black and Hispanic voters supported Trump in surprisingly high numbers.
6. Huge Biden Flip of Trump County?
In 2016, Trump won 62% of the vote in Antrim County, Michigan, in his race against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Yet, when the county tabulated votes this week, Biden reportedly beat Trump by 3,000 votes.
Republicans at the local and national level, including American Conservative Union President Matt Schlapp, flagged this development as unusual.
Have Republican votes mysteriously disappeared in Antrim County Michigan and it has become a strong Biden territory? Odd that @GovWhitmer owns property in the county – coincidence? #StopTheSteal https://t.co/etfrhdyLRW — Matt Schlapp (@mschlapp) November 4, 2020
The questions got results when the Antrim County Clerk’s Office announced it would count the ballots manually. The county has about 24,000 residents.
“There is no way that we flipped from 62% Trump in 2016 to upside-down this time around,” said state Rep. Triston Cole, a Republican, according to Interlochen Public Radio.
7. Dead Voters?
The Public Interest Legal Foundation also filed a lawsuit against the state of Pennsylvania for failing to maintain and update voter rolls after finding 21,000 apparently deceased voters still on the rolls.
That does not mean anyone was falsely voting under the names. However, critics have said unclean voter rolls present the opportunity for fraud.
The lawsuit in Pennsylvania states:
As of October 7, 2020, at least 9,212 registrants have been dead for at least five years, at least 1,990 registrants have been dead for at least ten years, and at least 197 registrants have been dead for at least twenty years. … Pennsylvania still left the names of more than 21,000 dead individuals on the voter rolls less than a month before one of the most consequential general elections for federal officeholders in many years.
– – –
Fred Lucas is chief national affairs correspondent for The Daily Signal and co-host of “The Right Side of History” podcast. Lucas is also the author of “Abuse of Power: Inside The Three-Year Campaign to Impeach Donald Trump.”


thetennesseestar--2020-11-08--Commentary: Let’s Take Stock of Where We Are

The 2020 election in particular , and our electoral process in general , have been badly compromised .
First there have been the successful efforts by Democrats to loosen electoral administration standards and practices by legalizing ballot harvesting ( where partisan “ volunteers ” go out and collect ballots as well as “ assist ” voters in filling out their ballots ) , allowing same-day voter registration , mass mail-in voting , and the like .
On the flipside we have Democrats tenaciously fighting any efforts to shore up the integrity of the system , such as requiring ID and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of this with unprecedented last minute rule changes on the eve of what was sure to be the most contested election in generations , if not in American history : all changes designed to favor one side over the other .
Theoretically , none of these measures guaranteed a compromised vote .
Theoretically , it ’ s possible that a system designed to be gamed and abused won ’ t be .
But a party concerned about the integrity of the system wouldn ’ t expend so much effort making it easier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opposite .
The other party , the one trying to do exactly that ( if all too often in a desultory , half-hearted way ) nevertheless gets attacked as the enemy of “ democracy.
” Second were all the ways the media , legacy and social , engaged in saturation broadcast of only one side of the story and deliberately suppressed any mention of the other .
These enormous in-kind contributions massively outweighed the paltry $ 10 million Russians allegedly spent on pro-Trump Facebook ads in 2016 .
Yet we are insistently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was illegitimate owing to “ the Russians ” while everything Google , Twitter , Facebook , the New York Times , Washington Post , ABC , CBS , NBC , CNN , and the Associated Press ( to name a few ) did for Biden either had no effect at all or was totally aboveboard .
Third are the hundreds of lawsuits filed throughout the land by the president ’ s enemies , all geared toward benefitting Democrats and harming Republicans .
Fourth are the irregularities in the voting and counting that began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and continue to this minute , including but not limited to : inexplicably halting the counts in five states late on election night ; the continuing , and mysterious “ finding ” of huge tranches of ballots overwhelmingly—and in some cases exclusively—for Biden ; computer “ glitches ” that flipped Republican votes into the Democrats ’ column ; people showing up to vote in person only to be told that they had already voted absentee when they had never request an absentee ballot ; Democratic-controlled states limiting access to Republican observers even in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now , it ’ s possible that each of these , and many other , shady-looking events has an innocent and plausible explanation .
If so , we should be told what they are .
But mostly we ’ re not being told .
Instead anyone who asks is either ignored or , more likely , told to shut up and called a conspiracy theorist and an enemy of democracy .
You ’ d think that if state and local election officials had innocent explanations for all these instances of alleged irregularity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d think further that it would be in their interest to explain .
Does Joe Biden really want to take office with half the country thinking he stole it ?
They can shout in our faces all they want—and they will—but shouting will not convince .
They need to persuade .
They need to explain .
And their explanations need to be true .
Far from seeing any effort to explain , all I see is an enlivened and merciless push to ram through the results while censoring and slandering anyone who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Either they don ’ t have explanations , or they don ’ t care what we think .
Or both .
There is something to be said—from the point of view of the powerful—for just ramming things through and explaining nothing .
It ’ s a clear demonstration of who ’ s boss .
It demoralizes the other side .
And it ’ s nearly certain to change the system permanently in ways that benefit the ruling class for as long as they can keep it going .
I have no special insight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not do .
Based on his remarks Thursday night and the actions so far by his campaign , he clearly doesn ’ t believe the election was clean .
He may nevertheless at some point conclude that he has no viable way to get to the bottom of what happened—especially with unfriendly state officials , agencies , and courts in charge of most of the processes .
Were the president eventually to concede , that will be trumpeted as “ proof ” that all doubts about the integrity of the election have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are illegitimate .
It will , of course , prove no such thing .
Richard Nixon believed he won the 1960 election but had it stolen from him in Illinois and Texas .
( There is evidence , but no conclusive proof , that he was right . )
Seeing no clear way to establish the truth , and wishing to avert a crisis , he declined to challenge the results .
This episode , ever since , has been “ explained ” to the American people in two ways : there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to concede .
But if there was no cheating , conceding was simply a matter of acknowledging reality .
Nixon ’ s action was “ statesmanlike ” only if he sacrificed something for the ( supposed ) good of the country—i.e.
, if cheating denied him the presidency he legitimately won .
No matter what he does , President Trump will get no credit from his enemies , who are already demanding that he concede before the counting is even over—to say nothing of the lawsuits and potential recounts .
If he does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set , or an old one reaffirmed : in any close election , if the Democrat appears to be ahead , and irregularities appear to be present , they are to be dismissed as nonexistent and the Republican must go gentle into that good night .
That may well work in securing the White House this time .
But if they just ram this through without explaining what really happened , then the legitimacy not just of our electoral system but of our entire government will have suffered an extreme , and possibly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really know who won .
Partisans on both sides will insist they do , but they won ’ t—not really .
Unless all the anomalies are explained , every count and recount conducted in a fair and transparent manner , the occupant of the White House on January 20 , 2021—whoever he is—will sit under a cloud .
If he ’ s Joe Biden , that cloud will be entirely of his party ’ s own making .
But far more ominously , one half the country—or to be more precise , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( at most ) half the country—will surmise that it can rule by fiat .
The other half will conclude that they are subjects .
Whether that conclusion resigns the latter to apathy or stirs them to rebellion is the question that will determine the course of our politics going forward .
Michael Anton is a lecturer and research fellow at Hillsdale College , a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute , and a former national security official in the Trump Administration .
He formerly wrote under the pseudonym Publius Decius Mus when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greatness .
The is the author , most recently , of The Stakes : America at the Point of No Return .

by Michael Anton
The 2020 election in particular, and our electoral process in general, have been badly compromised.
First there have been the successful efforts by Democrats to loosen electoral administration standards and practices by legalizing ballot harvesting (where partisan “volunteers” go out and collect ballots as well as “assist” voters in filling out their ballots), allowing same-day voter registration, mass mail-in voting, and the like. On the flipside we have Democrats tenaciously fighting any efforts to shore up the integrity of the system, such as requiring ID and proof of citizenship to vote.
Couple all of this with unprecedented last minute rule changes on the eve of what was sure to be the most contested election in generations, if not in American history: all changes designed to favor one side over the other.
Theoretically, none of these measures guaranteed a compromised vote. Theoretically, it’s possible that a system designed to be gamed and abused won’t be. But a party concerned about the integrity of the system wouldn’t expend so much effort making it easier to rig elections; it would do the opposite. The other party, the one trying to do exactly that (if all too often in a desultory, half-hearted way) nevertheless gets attacked as the enemy of “democracy.”
Second were all the ways the media, legacy and social, engaged in saturation broadcast of only one side of the story and deliberately suppressed any mention of the other. These enormous in-kind contributions massively outweighed the paltry $10 million Russians allegedly spent on pro-Trump Facebook ads in 2016. Yet we are insistently told that Trump’s 2016 victory was illegitimate owing to “the Russians” while everything Google, Twitter, Facebook, the New York Times, Washington Post, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and the Associated Press (to name a few) did for Biden either had no effect at all or was totally aboveboard.
Third are the hundreds of lawsuits filed throughout the land by the president’s enemies, all geared toward benefitting Democrats and harming Republicans.
Fourth are the irregularities in the voting and counting that began in the wee hours on November 4 and continue to this minute, including but not limited to: inexplicably halting the counts in five states late on election night; the continuing, and mysterious “finding” of huge tranches of ballots overwhelmingly—and in some cases exclusively—for Biden; computer “glitches” that flipped Republican votes into the Democrats’ column; people showing up to vote in person only to be told that they had already voted absentee when they had never request an absentee ballot; Democratic-controlled states limiting access to Republican observers even in defiance of court orders; etc.
Now, it’s possible that each of these, and many other, shady-looking events has an innocent and plausible explanation. If so, we should be told what they are.
But mostly we’re not being told. Instead anyone who asks is either ignored or, more likely, told to shut up and called a conspiracy theorist and an enemy of democracy.
You’d think that if state and local election officials had innocent explanations for all these instances of alleged irregularity, they’d offer them. You’d think further that it would be in their interest to explain. Does Joe Biden really want to take office with half the country thinking he stole it? They can shout in our faces all they want—and they will—but shouting will not convince. They need to persuade. They need to explain. And their explanations need to be true.
Far from seeing any effort to explain, all I see is an enlivened and merciless push to ram through the results while censoring and slandering anyone who asks questions or points out irregularities. Either they don’t have explanations, or they don’t care what we think. Or both.
There is something to be said—from the point of view of the powerful—for just ramming things through and explaining nothing. It’s a clear demonstration of who’s boss. It demoralizes the other side. And it’s nearly certain to change the system permanently in ways that benefit the ruling class for as long as they can keep it going.
I have no special insight into what the president may or may not do. Based on his remarks Thursday night and the actions so far by his campaign, he clearly doesn’t believe the election was clean. He may nevertheless at some point conclude that he has no viable way to get to the bottom of what happened—especially with unfriendly state officials, agencies, and courts in charge of most of the processes.
Were the president eventually to concede, that will be trumpeted as “proof” that all doubts about the integrity of the election have been laid to rest, and all questions are illegitimate. It will, of course, prove no such thing.
Richard Nixon believed he won the 1960 election but had it stolen from him in Illinois and Texas. (There is evidence, but no conclusive proof, that he was right.) Seeing no clear way to establish the truth, and wishing to avert a crisis, he declined to challenge the results. This episode, ever since, has been “explained” to the American people in two ways: there was no cheating, and Nixon was statesmanlike to concede. But if there was no cheating, conceding was simply a matter of acknowledging reality. Nixon’s action was “statesmanlike” only if he sacrificed something for the (supposed) good of the country—i.e., if cheating denied him the presidency he legitimately won.
No matter what he does, President Trump will get no credit from his enemies, who are already demanding that he concede before the counting is even over—to say nothing of the lawsuits and potential recounts. If he does, a new standard will have been set, or an old one reaffirmed: in any close election, if the Democrat appears to be ahead, and irregularities appear to be present, they are to be dismissed as nonexistent and the Republican must go gentle into that good night.
That may well work in securing the White House this time. But if they just ram this through without explaining what really happened, then the legitimacy not just of our electoral system but of our entire government will have suffered an extreme, and possibly fatal, blow.
No one will really know who won. Partisans on both sides will insist they do, but they won’t—not really. Unless all the anomalies are explained, every count and recount conducted in a fair and transparent manner, the occupant of the White House on January 20, 2021—whoever he is—will sit under a cloud. If he’s Joe Biden, that cloud will be entirely of his party’s own making.
But far more ominously, one half the country—or to be more precise, the class that rules in the interests of (at most) half the country—will surmise that it can rule by fiat. The other half will conclude that they are subjects.
Whether that conclusion resigns the latter to apathy or stirs them to rebellion is the question that will determine the course of our politics going forward.
– – –
Michael Anton is a lecturer and research fellow at Hillsdale College, a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, and a former national security official in the Trump Administration. He formerly wrote under the pseudonym Publius Decius Mus when he was a senior editor of American Greatness. The is the author, most recently, of The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return.