Thread by @eddie1perez

1/ In recent weeks, I've written about various midterm election tactics that I've called #ManufacturedChaos.

Lately, I've been specifically thinking about what the *post-election counting period* is likely to look like, and I'm very troubled.

Here's Part 2...a 🧵

https://twitter.com/eddie1perez/status/1577297621319827456

2/ Until recent yrs (w/some exceptions), post-election meant counting the votes, accepting facts, declaring outcomes & transferring power efficiently & peacefully.

But no more. My greatest concern? The post-election period is likely to be the start of a new disinformation cycle.

3/ A democratic consensus on the legitimacy of election admin processes is gone. And an increasing number of election deniers are trying to normalize the idea that any outcome other than their victory is prima facie evidence of malfeasance and "cheating."

4/ This troubling development means that post-Election Day will be the start of a new cycle to undermine public confidence in the legitimacy of election outcomes. A whole new battlefield has been born, and it will be a long slog.
projects.fivethirtyeight.com/republicans-tr…

5/ In 2020, a common refrain was "results should be reported promptly on election night; if they're not, it probably indicates some kind of shenanigans."

But In 2022, election deniers are poised to drag out the transfer of power w/weeks or months of procedural & legal wrangling.

6/ What will #ManufacturedChaos look like post-election?

- Claims of irregularities without evidence

- Claims of voting technology problems based on lack of context

- Spurious and overwhelming demands for public records

- Legal attacks on local procedures and laws

7/ More examples of the chaos likely to come...

Example #1: The very idea that it takes time to count by-mail ballots is now regarded as suspicious.

Disinformation has spread the idea that in 2020 "they stopped the election in the middle of the night."
reuters.com/article/uk-fac…

8/ Example #2: Nevada is an entire state awash in disinformation.

https://twitter.com/mattblaze/status/1584234462153359360?s=20&t=ldo-3GXoTmslxxu4rAW8fg

9/ Example #3: Distrust of voting technology is leading to hasty, ill-planned decisions to hand count ballots in the final weeks of the election. Bad idea, likely to result in errors. Hand counts take planning, documented procedures, & rigorous training.

https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1585081031522242561?s=20&t=ldo-3GXoTmslxxu4rAW8fg

10/ But wait, you might say...don't citizens have a right to transparency? Isn't it okay to "ask questions?"

Of course we should expect transparency and accountability in democratic elections.

But that doesn't make it okay to deny reality. There are facts, and facts matter.

11/ It's often said that in a democracy, elections determine "who won."

But even *more* important in a democracy is that the *losers* accept that they lost.

We have evidence that this is no longer the case.

12/ In the face of those who claim they are "just asking questions," we must also hold them accountable to facts. And when facts de-bunk conspiratorial narratives, it's logical to ask...

What's the end-game of an ever-shifting litany of "just asking questions"?

Why do it?

13/ #ManufacturedChaos is Orwellian. Despite the stated goal of "election integrity," to election deniers, only some outcomes are acceptable. And if results don't go their way, they will employ tactics to sow doubt in election administration processes.
slate.com/technology/202…

14/ The danger: Post-election #ManufacturedChaos provides daily fuel for an escalating disinformation campaign—and the doubt is used to justify extraordinary actions that *further* undermine democracy...like state legislatures overturning the popular vote.

https://twitter.com/eddie1perez/status/1582947686986043392?s=20&t=ldo-3GXoTmslxxu4rAW8fg

15/ Based on what we're seeing so far, I am especially concerned about post-election manufactured chaos we are likely to see in six key states: AZ, MI, NC, NV, PA, and WI.

So what can we do about it?
What should we be on the lookout for?

16/ As we assess post-election "reviews," we should demand:

- Bipartisanship/impartiality

- Precision

- Documented procedures

- Rigorous training

- Clear standards for interpretation of voter marks

- Clear standards to resolve discrepancies among human reviewers

17/ As we assess post-election "reviews," all of the following should be regarded as red flags:

- Claims of irregularities without any evidence of wrongdoing

- Untrained personnel with no elections experience

- Operations run by intensely partisan election deniers

(cont>)

18/ As we assess post-election "reviews," all of the following should be regarded as red flags:

- Ongoing "audits" after election professionals have already run them

- Keeping procedures sealed from the public

- Constantly changing procedures

- No definable end in sight

19/ And finally, the clearest red flags that "just asking questions" during the post-election cycle is actually a dangerous disinformation machine:

- Using post-election reviews for fundraising (read: "grift")

- Intimidating or harassing election officials

20/ Post-election #ManufacturedChaos is like throwing sand in the gears of democracy and trying to grind the whole process to a halt -- and the worry is that it's being done precisely so that more radical anti-democratic "solutions" can be justified.

Stay vigilant.
Facts matter.

21/ [coda] Many of the ideas in this thread were inspired by a longer piece I did for @OSET last year.

I fear that the Maricopa County AZ sham audit was the tip of the iceberg of what we're likely to see in 2022. I won't be disappointed if I'm wrong.
osetinstitute.org/blog/sham-audi…