Ohio Republican Party leaders last month refused to put Joe Biden on the presidential ballot unless the legislature has adopted another measure that it believes would prevent foreign money from playing a role in the process by which citizens can introduce legislative initiatives.
But while some were certainly concerned about malicious foreigners who might improperly influence state policy, some of them seemed to be playing on the same trumped-up fear of foreigners that they do in other contexts.
When there were previously problems with placing presidential candidates of both parties on the ballot, the legislator adopted a “clean” act that dealt with the problem in a routine manner.
Moreover, thanks to the latest law Ohio lawmakers have done nothing to ensure transparency of murky money, which floods the country and can come from any source. It may come from foreigners, organized crime or interested parties – all without the knowledge of the electorate whose laws it affects. Such murky money played an irreplaceable role in Ohio’s largest corruption scandal – a scandal that involved many of the same Ohio leaders.
Additionally, critics argued that the move was actually intended to make it more tough for citizens to impose popular measures that the state’s gerrymandering majority opposes, such as protecting abortion rights and ending gerrymandering. As part of that, they say it gives the state’s attorney general – who has been a Republican since 2011 – significantly increased powers to harass citizens’ attempts to change the law.
Xenophobia
Immigrant advocates and others say that by imposing their “ban” on foreign money, some Republican leaders are playing on the anti-foreigner and anti-immigrant paranoia that Donald Trump has continually stoked since then. announcing his candidacy become president in 2015.
The modern rules not only prohibit contributions by foreigners, but also prohibit contributions by lawful lasting residents or “green card” holders. This is despite the fact that federal law allows such people to make donationsand Bill Seitz, a lawyer and GOP member of the House of Representatives, warned his colleagues that the ban could sink the entire measure in court.
For an immigrant supporter, the dog whistle was easily heard.
“They know what they’re doing, the people who are sponsoring these amendments,” said Lynn Tramonte, director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. “They do this about people born in other countries and add new categories of immigrants who are prohibited from giving money. The legislator who introduced this amendment knows that it makes it susceptible to appeals. It was very clear. Both sides – Republicans and Democrats – expect this law to be challenged in court. So clearly this wasn’t about politics. It was about getting those headlines.”
Some of the amendment’s staunchest supporters did not hesitate to utilize such tactics.
Secretary of State Frank LaRose was the first to flag the fact that the Democratic National Convention was delayed for Biden to be on the ballot under Ohio law. But instead of calling for a immaculate bill that would merely fix the problem, as the Legislature has done in the past, LaRose made other demands.
“Ohioans deserve to have confidence in the integrity of our elections, knowing they are not being bought by foreign tyrants or billionaires,” LaRose said in a May release press release. “I hope the House will do the right thing and act soon to close this loophole before it is exploited again.”
Other motives
LaRose was referring to a Swiss billionaire who made a major contribution to Tides FoundationAmerican group that helped fund voter efforts in Ohio last year.
One thwarted the August attempt by LaRose and his allies to make it nearly impossible for citizens to initiate amendments to the Ohio Constitution. Then in November, voters passed an amendment protecting the right to abortion for a Margin 14 points. LaRose previously told partisans that the August effort was successful 100% o suspending the introduction of measures on abortion rights in November.
This isn’t the only time LaRose, the state’s top election official, has used fear of foreigners to benefit what appears to be ulterior motives.
For example, he carried out repeated voter purges, ostensibly in the service of election integrity. Last year he tried to make a splash by announcing that he had referred 641 cases possible electoral fraud against the authorities.
It seems like a lot, but it’s only 0.0044% of all votes cast. And when the Capital Journal investigated further, less than 3% of them resulted in prosecution.
In other words, just 0.000132% of the total votes cast since LaRose took office in 2019. power end with convictions. But last month, LaRose announced another voter purge, raising the threat foreigners casting illegal ballots that’s why it was needed.
“Ohioans overwhelmingly passed an amendment to our state constitution that clearly states that only U.S. citizens may vote in our elections,” LaRose announced in a May 14 press release. “It is my legal duty to uphold the Constitution, and the legislature has expressly charged me with ensuring that only eligible citizens can register and vote.”
Spreading fear
Elizabeth Neumann was deputy chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration.
Last week, during a virtual press conference sponsored by the National Immigration Forum, she described how “great replacement theory” — the idea that there is a conspiracy to replace white people, especially in positions of power — has led to numerous racist massacres. She said inciting fear of illegal voting is a milder version of the same theory used by the shooters in massacring people in Christchurch, New ZealandAND Walmart in El PasoAND Synagogue in Pittsburghand Grocery store in Buffalo.
“There’s a lot of talk about how migrants actually vote, which translates into a more benign grand replacement theory, and we anticipate that will continue to be a challenge this election year,” said Neumann, now chief strategy officer Moon shotwhich aims to end online harm such as violent extremism and child trafficking.
Tramonte, of the immigrant alliance, said the real purpose of claims of illegal voting and purges and prosecutions is to scare marginal populations away from the polls. She said she helped conduct a focus group ahead of the November election.
“I heard from citizens who said they were afraid to vote because they were afraid they would be attacked,” she said. “They had a plan to go there early in the morning and make sure they could vote because they wanted to make sure their voices were heard, but they were afraid.”
In addition to failing to effectively address the issue of secret money in our politics and making it tough and intimidating to participate in the process, the rhetoric surrounding the bill that Republicans demanded in exchange for putting a sitting president on trial may have darker consequences. Ohio ballot.
In an interview, Moonshot analyst Yuri Neves said political leaders invoke conspiracy theories to suggest that green card holders have diabolical plans or that masses of undocumented immigrants vote illegally.
“This suggests a coordinated plan by nefarious actors,” he said. “Depending on who you talk to, it’s globalists, Jews, etc. When we say it’s a conspiracy theory, it’s not that there are just demographic changes going on, as always. The thing is, there are some bad actors behind this. And that’s when it gets quite dangerous.”
