Opinion by the
Editorial Board
Today at 5:50 p.m. EDT
The conspiracy theory-fueled “audit” of Arizona’s ballots was supposed to end in May, then by the end of August and now — who knows? Arizona Senate Republicans have ineptly orchestrated this chaotic spectacle over the fervent protests of county GOP officials, election experts and practically everyone else who has not signed on to former president Donald Trump’s dangerous mythology about the 2020 election. The audit has come to epitomize the toxic combination of lies, absurdity and grift on which 2020 trutherism rests. But the former president has watched intently, apparently under the delusion that the election results can still be reversed, and he has pressed Republican leaders in other swing states to run similar ballot reviews. With the help of right-wing media, he is succeeding in his pressure campaign.
Politico reports that top GOP officials in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are proceeding with their own 2020 election audits. Pennsylvania Senate leaders have openly compared their review to the Arizona madness and boasted that they have coordinated with Mr. Trump on their efforts. As in Arizona, they will conduct their probe with the help of outside contractors who may examine ballots and voting equipment. They have asked the public to come forward with any irregularities people think they witnessed. This is the sort of process that in the immediate aftermath of the 2020 vote led to dossiers of outlandish allegations that are most charitably described as based on misunderstandings — and that one judge after another threw out of court. They plan to hold their first hearing on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Wisconsin House has earmarked $676,000 for its own vote review, to be run by a former state supreme court justice who has attended election conspiracy theory events. House leaders have promised to keep Mr. Trump updated on their investigation, which also appears to be preoccupied with voting machines.
Back in Arizona, experts have decried the GOP audit’s shifting procedures, sloppy ballot handling and failure to understand basic election practices. Despite several delays, the intent still appears to be to hand Mr. Trump and his acolytes an official-looking report, no matter how slipshod, that gives their election lies the appearance of plausibility.
U.S. House Republicans punished Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as she spoke up against Mr. Trump’s lying, stripping her of her leadership position supposedly because she spent too much time looking backward. As Republican leaders help Mr. Trump advance his campaign of lies, it is evermore obvious that her real sin was telling the truth when the party prefers mistruths. And who is looking backward now?
With Mr. Trump largely out of the headlines, many Americans may have thought the 2020 election was over. In fact, the conspiracy theories, recriminations and demands emanating from the former president — and amplified across right-wing media — are only accelerating. State Republicans cannot overturn the 2020 results. But they are sapping the U.S. political system of precious legitimacy for a substantial swath of the population, and their willingness to take official actions based on fiction speaks ominously about what they would do if the next presidential election does not go their way.
