Over the last four years, despite holding the Presidency, Senate, a majority of Governors and State legislators, District Attorneys, the GOP has never, ever, been able to prove voter fraud in any meaningful way. Thread 1/16

They have had commissions, they had investigations, and yet they have settled on rhetoric and crazy legal theories instead of convictions and indictments.

So why do they persist with this myth? It hurts the GOP brand and mutes their other messages. So why persist? 2/16

Why in the face of overwhelming evidence against this fanciful notion that remains overwhelmingly unpopular? Why continue in a notion that has not brought a single legal victory in the aftermath of an election that they have lost the popular vote in? 3/16

I think therein lies the issue. The GOP has lost the popular vote in each presidential election since 2004, and before that you have to go to 1988 for the last time they won the popular vote count. 4/16

During that time period we saw the rise of the conservative media bubble such as right wing radio and Fox news. A great deal of the rhetoric is about how the majority of the country believes with their view point. 5/16

The moral Majority, the silent majority, these are terms they use as if it is established fact.

This is why I believe so many have embraced anti-democratic leanings over the last twenty years or so. 6/16

Sure it exploded over the last 4 with a wanna be autocrat with the loudest microphone in the country. It is more then just one person though, there is a movement. 7/16

While many will focus on the crazier parts of the movement such as q'anon the mainstream anti-voter leanings in my opinion is more dangerous.

I posit that this media bubble has created this myth that conservative positions are the majority held 8/16

and the only reason they are losing elections is because of fraud and cheating by the left, and not just that their views are not as popular as they think. This is why they are willing to embrace voter suppression tactics in the name of "ballot security". 9/16

They believe that they simply cannot lose elections unless there is fraud so these methods such as voter id, refusing to embrace voter by mail, early voting, automatic and same day voter registration is acceptable. 10/16

Its also why they are so resistant to change to anti-democratic institutions like the Electoral College, SCOTUS, and the makeup of the Senate. They see it as a bastion against the majority they can not believe has turned against their ideology. 11/16

Yes, there are some that are calculating and do believe voter suppression is easier then winning a majority. The majority believe the myth which justifies the action. There is no argument or piece of evidence that will change that belief. 12/16

Voter suppression in Democratic areas is justified because there must be vote fraud there. Throwing out thousands of ballots on technicalities is ok to balance out the scourge of voter fraud. 13/16

This is why we must elect leaders who understand that the fundamental truth of our Democracy is this: When more people vote, regardless of the outcome, the better we are as a society. This is a morality that can not be given lip service to. 14/16

All leaders of all parties can ascribe to this ideal, but the actions they vote for or refuse to vote for tells the story of whether they want to heal this Democracy or further us down the path of autocracy that has propelled public voting policy for the last twenty years. 15/16

It is up to us to save it. It must be among the first questions we ask future candidates in the coming year. 16/16