The Empty Suits Of The Legislature Are At It, Again
– By Ed Kociela –
The empty suits of the Utah Legislature are stretching credibility once again.
A week ago, they decided that it is necessary for the state to conduct an “election
integrity audit” so voters could feel comfortable about how their ballots are counted. The request came from House Majority Leader Mike Schultz, R-Hooper.
“I think this is an effort to restore confidence with all groups, all citizens of the state,” Schultz told FOX 13 News.
Now, I might grumble that my votes don’t count in crimson-soaked Utah, but I would never suggest that the fix is in on election day.
This latest bit of busy work and expense explains why I’ve never held much stock in the Utah Legislature. I have yet to see it function other than to serve as the mouthpiece for the church, even if it means turning away issues voted into law by successful initiatives. It is a hypocritical bunch of layabouts who are about as far removed from serving voters their heaping share of equality and freedom as can be imagined — at the bequest of an organization that continues its unwavering opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment and was adamant about the limited role African-Americans could play in their group until “revelations,” most likely dispensed by attorneys as a result of national litigation rather than God, inspired a change in attitude.
The empty suits can be accused here of falling into the trap of the Trumpian fantasy of rigged elections and unproven conspiracies, especially in light of the gerrymandering that has made it nearly impossible for the Democrats to get up off the mat by breaking up Salt Lake County — Utah’s largest concentration of Democrats — into four districts. One of those districts includes all of Iron County, which is home to more Republicans than Mormons or Utah Jazz fans.
So much for election integrity.
There are a couple of ways this can be corrected. Unfortunately, none are terribly promising.
The first and easiest, of course, would be for the Legislature to do a reset on its reset of the redistricting. It would be simple, direct, and a real effort to ensure that all voters are represented. But, it will never happen because the Legislature is too busy covering its backside and more intent on preserving the Republican Party than “election integrity,” something the former president claimed kept him from winning a second term by attempting to turn the election results, particularly in Georgia and Arizona, inside out with false claims of voter fraud. We know, of course, it was utter nonsense and that the final results actually gave him a lesser tally.
The second solution would be for voters themselves to handle the problem by way of another initiative, except we have seen how the Legislature ignores the will of the people. Remember Proposition 2, the initiative to approve medical use of cannabis that was shredded by the Legislature after the church stuck its nose into it and rewrote the bill that replaced the voter-approved initiative? The church employed every argument it could feebly muster in opposition to Prop 2 in the run-up to the election, from stating that more studies were needed to how the proposition would be a violation of federal law, as if the feds have much respect in Utah, anyway. The rewritten bill was a slam to the voters by a bunch of uninformed power wielders who appeared to do their research by screening “Reefer Madness.” Nowhere did it take into consideration the 53 percent of voters who cast ballots in favor of the initiative. The rewritten bill was a shambles. But the dutiful Legislature pushed it through thanks to the heavy hand of the church.
The best way to fix all of this, of course, also resides in the hands of the voters. All they have to do is vote out the folks who have a stranglehold on our freedom and democracy, and dump the blind adherence to the Trumpian lack of values and morals.
We’re not talking solid Republican values and morals as exemplified by the late Bob Dole, one of the most intelligent, kindest and decent people to work The Beltway. He was always more concerned about the good of the nation, the good of the people, than the good of the Republican Party. He realized the party doesn’t hold all of the answers.
But, the same cannot be said about these guys, especially those representing Utah voters at the state and federal level. They don’t care about you and they certainly don’t care about me, especially since I don’t check the right boxes in the categories of political and religious affiliation. But, that’s fine with me. If I wanted to sign up with either team, I would know how to do that. So far, the mood hasn’t struck me and I’m pretty sure it won’t in the near or distant future. Besides, it is rather nice to be an outsider, especially among these guys.
However, I do think this audit of the election system is a colossal waste of time and money, and I think Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson agrees.
After conducting a tour of the state to meet with county clerks and election officials, she has come up with nothing that could shake voters’ confidence in the system.
“I haven’t found anything that would concern me at all of the validity of the outcomes we have in our elections,” she told FOX 13. There’s no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of our elections officials. There is no evidence of fraud.”
Henderson also promised that efforts to dump the mail-in voting procedure will be thwarted, despite opposition from hard-right party members.
“We will not, under my watch…be going backward,” she said.
It could be politically limiting for Henderson, especially among the conspiracy freaks and insurrection advocates who would have lynched Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi on the steps of the Capitol in January had they gotten the chance.
But, that’s what we are up against, the folks who want to stack the deck, who wish to silence all voices that have even marginal opposition. It is, however, a mark of insecurity rather than a show of strength. It is an ungracious byproduct of politics that allows the politicians to pick their voters rather than allowing voters to pick their politicians.
Casting doubt on election integrity and gerrymandering to squelch the other side, however, is the fete accompli of our times, which is why the empty suits still have a seat at the table.
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