What happens when counties refuse to certify election results?

 

Preview of my members-only emails One of the most dangerous moments in the aftermath of the 2020 election took place on the evening of Nov. 17, when Donald Trump and then-RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel called the two Republican members of the Wayne County, Michigan canvassing board to urge them to not certify the election results in Detroit. Since then, many of us have been sounding the alarm that Republicans will target the certification process to prevent the accurate results of free and fair elections to be certified in a bid to prevent Democratic candidates from taking office. This is exactly what we saw in 2022 when Republican election officials tried to prevent or delay certification in Arizona, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. I first wrote about the need to reform and protect the certification process in January 2021. Over the next three years, I repeatedly called out the threat election deniers posed to our elections by targeting the certification process. Then, on Monday, Rolling Stone published an article on the topic in which I am quoted saying: ‘I think we are going to see mass refusals to certify the election’ in November, says Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias. Suddenly, a match of urgency was lit. That night, Rachel Maddow again quoted my concerns on her widely watched show. Since then, Democracy Docket and I have been flooded with questions. So, for this week’s must read articles, I offer the Rolling Stone article that kicked it off, Democracy Docket’s latest explainer and a piece from me laying out the risks. THE SCOREBOARD YOUR WEEKLY SNAPSHOT Top Issues Upgrade to find out. Top States Upgrade to find out. Decisions Handed Down 9 Decisions We’re Waiting For 39 YOUR WEEKEND READING LIST These Swing State Election Officials Are Pro-Trump Election Deniers Rolling Stone In this deep-dive investigation into the pro-Trump election deniers who may refuse to certify accurate election results at the county level, I told Rolling Stone that Republicans are counting on the fact that if they don’t certify in several small counties, states cannot certify statewide results. Upgrade to unlock story #2 If you want to continue receiving my weekly scorecard and weekend reading lists — plus invites to exclusive live events with me, my two monthly newsletters and more — upgrade to our premium membership and support Democracy Docket’s work in keeping you informed on the latest news about voting and elections in the courts.