ABOUT FAITH & FREEDOM

Monday, August 12, 2024

Democrats Warn About "Democracy" While Undermining It


Sometimes it feels like the "election" is more about the election than the candidates running for office.

The Left keeps telling us they are doing what they do to "save democracy," but much of what we see is the Left undermining it in every conceivable way, claiming their end is so noble it justifies any means.

Is a "fair and honest election" possible in America anymore?

Be informed, not misled.

Citizenship can be a broad term. It covers the right to vote, hold public office, and live with freedom under the protection of U.S. laws and the Constitution.

All of that is at stake in November, Ken Blackwell, The Family Research Council’s special advisor for Election Integrity, says.

Democrats are warning the coming election is about democracy, he observes, and they’re not off track.

It’s just which version of democracy Americans will choose.

“What needs to be addressed is the real threat to citizenship in our country, and that’s tied to the porous borders that we have," Blackwell said on Washington Watch. "So our national sovereignty, and the integrity of citizenship, is really wrapped up in how various states, all of our states, deal with the election integrity issue." 

The Courts vs. The Citizens

USA Today reports:

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed itself Thursday, allowing Arizonans again to register to vote in federal races without having to prove citizenship.

It's another dizzying swerve in the legal battle over a 2022 law that aims ultimately to reverse a portion of the National Voter Registration Act and require all Arizona voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The order reopens a path for potential voters who just two weeks ago were barred from using the state voter registration form to sign up to vote unless they could produce proof of U.S. citizenship. It comes with two months left before the Oct. 7 registration deadline for the high-stakes presidential election.

The order means people can again use the state-issued voter registration form even if they don't produce proof of citizenship. Instead, they attest under penalty of perjury that they are citizens, and are limited to voting in federal races only.

In the first 10 days after the July 18 ruling that required the documentary proof, the Maricopa County Recorder's Office said it had rejected 200 voter applications.

On Thursday, the Arizona Secretary of State's Office clarified the impact of the ruling.

"Election officials may not reject voter registration applications submitted without DPOC, regardless of which form is used," communications director Aaron Thacker said. DPOC is shorthand for documentary proof of citizenship.

In Virginia, where Joe Biden won seven of 11 congressional districts and defeated Donald Trump by 10 points in 2020, Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order mandating the use of paper ballots, updating voter rolls to remove noncitizens – and the deceased – and much more.

I talked about what Gov. Yougnkin is doing on our radio program last week

“The governor has aggressively addressed an issue that must be addressed across the country. We have a decentralized system so states approach these problems differently. It’s important to “press the envelope” on these issues, Blackwell said.

“You have to have people in elected positions for secretary of state and governor that are willing to say, ‘We’re going to the mat on these issues.’ That’s very important,” he said.

The citizens respond.



National and Arizona Republicans are formally requesting the Supreme Court allow a state law to go into effect that would reject state voter registrations in which the applicant does not provide proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in state elections. The motion also asks the high court to permit Arizona to require such proof for individuals submitting mail-in ballots and voting in presidential contests.

According to AZ Free News, that decision reversed a July 18 ruling by the court’s motions panel allowing the law to take effect. The motions panel’s decision overturned a May district court ruling that deemed the law illegal.

Mi Familia Vota and Voto Latino are among several left-wing groups challenging the statute’s legality.

Filed on Thursday by the Republican National Committee (RNC) and Arizona’s GOP legislative leadership, the emergency application asks SCOTUS to issue a stay on an Aug. 2 decision by a three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which prohibited enforcement of provisions in a 2022 state law requiring individuals provide documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) when registering via state voter registration forms.

“Requiring proof of citizenship is common sense and fundamental to preserving the integrity of our elections — especially in our country’s most important presidential election,” RNC Chair Michael Whatley said in a statement. “This application in the Supreme Court is pivotal to ensuring that Arizonans’ votes are not canceled by noncitizens.”

Applicants have requested SCOTUS to issue a stay allowing the aforementioned DPOC requirements to take effect before Aug. 22.

Justice Elena Kagan is the “circuit justice” tasked with handling emergency stay applications from western states. According to SCOTUSblog, she can “grant or deny the application on her own, or she can refer it to the full court for all of the justices to vote on it.” The issuance of a stay would then require approval from at least five justices.

Citizenship is common sense and fundamental to preserving the integrity of our elections — especially in our country’s most important presidential election,” RNC Chair Michael Whatley said in a statement. 

Takeaway 

Democracy is under attack while our institutions are being shaken and destroyed. How did we get to this place?

Presbyterian pastor, educator, and evangelist Charles Finney said, 

If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the public press lacks moral discernment, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it. If the world loses its interest in Christianity, the pulpit is responsible for it. If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it. If our politics become so corrupt that the very foundations of our government are ready to fall away, the pulpit is responsible for it.

The answer to the most troubling issues of our times is the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Vote. Be Prayerful.