There Is Nothing Arbitrary Here

Have you heard of Dominion Voting Systems? Before today, I had not either. However, watching MSNBC’s, The Rachel Maddow Show, I learned that, in spite of Georgia’s “Board of Evaluators” not choosing this electronic voting systems company, as well as their never having had a job as complicated and enormous as a statewide overhaul and replacement of antiquated voting machines, Georgia’s current Secretary of State, Republican, Brad Raffensperger and Republican Governor, Brian Kemp, hired them anyway. Maddow also revealed that Brian Kemp’s 2018, gubernatorial campaign manager, Jared Thomas, was hired by Dominion to lobby for them in Washington. 

This brings us to today’s Primary in the great state of Georgia. If you were able to hold yourself together after watching Mr. George Floyd’s heart rendering, evocative, and galvanizing memorial service, you would be aware that if voters were not being made to stand in 90 degree, southern, humid heat, for hours at a time before one was able to “cast their vote,” they were being made to stand in 90 degree, southern, humid heat for hours at a time, only to be told—as DeKalb County’s, Cross Key High School’s voting precinct manager, Jonathan Banes, did— that, “The touch pads aren’t receiving or accepting the authorizations, and we are out of provisional ballots. There’s nothing we can do,” before being turned away. Since Russian intelligence’s interference in this country’s 2016 presidential election, one can only surmise that Raffensperger’s and Kemp’s decision to install electronic, “hackable” voting systems, against the wishes and recommendations of an entire board, is intentional and at the very least, suspect, if not outright nefarious.

Additionally and not surprising, today’s deliberate voter suppressing turn of events were especially an issue in Black areas—including DeKalb, Cobb, Fulton, and Gwinnette counties. To refresh your memory, a year prior to the 2018 midterms, then Secretary of State, Brian Kemp, clandestinely purged 500,000 voters—without their knowledge. Most of these purged voters were Black. Although, he was in charge of all things involving voting as he ran for the governorship against Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost to him, he refused to recuse himself. Like a recurring nightmare, Vaffensperger, with Kemp’s blessing, rushed to install 30,000 of these highly problematic and dubious electronic voting systems before today’s primary and of course, ahead of November’s existential presidential election. 

Not unlike Donald Trump’s presidential win against Hillary Clinton, and Brian Kemp’s win against Stacey Abrams, both are illegitimate. The only way Trump wins in November is exactly how he won in 2016, by cheating. DeKalb Commissioner, Mereda Davis Johnson, is quoted as saying, “If this is a preview of November, then we’re in trouble.” We are also ready to fight, and win. 

“Dominion” Voting Systems. Dominion. Let that sink in. Clearly, there is nothing arbitrary here.

Erika L. Ganier

Sources:

Washington Post

Politico 

Rachel Maddow 

Atlanta Journal Constitution - John Spink