On January 28th, the FBI conducted a messy and questionably legal raid at the Fulton County election office. They were given a warrant to seize over 700 boxes of private voter information and ballots, including drivers licenses and social security numbers concerning the (according to Trump) “rigged” 2020 election.
This is the first step into altering the way voting and democratic election processes happen in the future. And it instills valid fear for voters who do not want their information obtained by the FBI or other groups associated. I know that in four years when I vote, I do not want to worry about where my information is going or who will see it.
Having a parent in the Georgia House of Representatives, I can see and hear about changes daily and how everyday is different and sometimes frightening. When I heard about this raid, it scared me to know this is a possibility and will be more common in the future. I am writing this not to dog on the administration leading our country, but as a kid who fears how my vote will be counted in four years. What this situation looks like to me is that the sitting President personally involved himself in an investigation about an election that he lost six years ago. This raid looks criminal to me.
Strangely, five days following the raid, Trump said that Republicans should nationalize elections. This means the federal government would be in full control of what is now state elections, giving the administration more control over elections and how they are conducted. Stuff like this happens with no questions asked because he has said much about how rigged the election was. He even stated, “people will soon be prosecuted for what they did,” one of many threats from the Trump administration against those who disagree with them. He’s implying people went out of their way to rig votes in a way that resulted in Trump losing in 2020, which we have seen time and time again is simply untrue.
The timing about wanting to nationalize elections seems strange, and I wouldn’t be shocked if more raids of voting places in other states happened in the near future.
Midterms are in November, and voters will soon be back at the polls. These elections happen halfway through every presidency and determine which party holds power in congress. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats will be on the ballot. Anyone voting in these elections might be scared to know that Steve Bannon, the former White House Chief Strategist has stated that ICE will surround the polls in November during midterms. This is a serious threat and cannot be taken as a joke. ICE could wrongly detain or harass legal immigrants, ultimately interfering with the democratic right to vote. Their presence could lead to fights or injuries, as we have already seen earlier this year. MAGA hats will be the determining factor in whether or not ICE should leave the person in line alone, and I hate that this is true. Days following the elections could be filled with protests about how midterms were conducted, and the whole election will be extremely controversial.
Raids, nationalized elections, and ICE have already started interfering with voters and their private information. I worry about the future of voting, and I hope that when I’m able to cast my ballot it will be in a fair and democratic election.