In the aftermath of another disappointing election night for Republicans, questions need to be asked about supposedly non-partisan get-out-the-vote (GOTV) operations Democrats are using to ensure their low-propensity voters – and only their low-propensity voters – get to the polls.
On March 7, 2021, Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting, President Joe Biden instructed every federal agency to submit a plan to leverage their agency’s personnel and assets to help turn out the vote. For example, agencies might use internal data to identify aid recipients who are not registered to vote, then use agency personnel to get them registered and ensure their ballot is cast and counted.
Anyone who criticizes GOTV efforts gets accused of wanting to suppress voting. But it’s not voting to which we should object – it’s the exclusive collection of ballots from Democratic voting blocks.
Citing the need for ‘equity,’ Biden’s order explicitly directed agencies to target Black and Native American communities, Hispanic and Latino voters, ‘civil rights and disability rights advocates,’ convicted felons, and voters who work for the federal government.
What does each of these voting blocs have in common? As I explained in my book, ‘The Puppeteers,’ all of these groups have a long history of lopsided support for Democrats. One of the reasons the left is so good at getting low-propensity voters to the polls may be because they’ve figured out how to make taxpayers fund their GOTV operations.
So, what did these agencies do ahead of the 2022, 2023, and the upcoming 2024 election? Taxpayers don’t get to know that. The Biden administration has refused to disclose the plans submitted by hundreds of federal agencies, claiming executive privilege prevents their release.
Freedom of Information Act lawsuits are in the courts, but the executive privilege claim by Biden is slowing the release of the action plan. Why so secretive if it is so good and important?
That secrecy argument is bogus on its face. But it may take ongoing lawsuits years to force their disclosure. Meanwhile Democrats are winning elections with the help of more than 2 million federal employees.
Elections are administered by states. Federal employees are hired to administer federal programs, not to help the ruling party get out the vote to specific groups that tend to vote for the ruling party. In fact, federal employees are explicitly prohibited by law from participating in political activities.
The 1939 Hatch Act was created to ‘ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion.’ But by targeting Democratic constituencies, Biden has weaponized the whole federal government in pursuit of partisan objectives and partisan candidates.
Biden’s approval rating is underwater on nearly every critical issue. Republicans should have the wind at their backs on the economy and inflation, on energy, on foreign policy, on border issues, on crime and many more. Yet for three cycles in a row, Republican candidates have underperformed expectations.
The truth is the Biden administration doesn’t really want to get out all the votes. They want to get out all the Democratic voters. And it’s working very well for them. Nonprofits, unions, and now the federal government work non-stop to get out the preferred vote.
So, what did these agencies do ahead of the 2022, 2023, and the upcoming 2024 election? Taxpayers don’t get to know that. The Biden administration has refused to disclose the plans submitted by hundreds of federal agencies, claiming executive privilege prevents their release.
Where is the Republican infrastructure to turn out our own low propensity voters? What is the party doing to support those who are challenging the partisan deployment of federal agencies? Voters will tell you their No. 1 issue is the economy and inflation. But what lobby is out there targeting voters who care about that issue? And where is the dragnet of attorneys fighting for the integrity of the vote?
As 2024 approaches, Republicans cannot afford to sit back and watch as Democrats vacuum up all of their low-propensity voter ballots while the GOP fights among themselves. Republicans have to get serious about challenging the left’s dominance in this area.
It isn’t enough to be right on the issues. Winning campaigns need appealing candidates and a plan to get out the vote. This is the challenge for Republicans.