The Frightening Rhetoric Behind Election Fraud Myths
Channel: What'sBehindTheSky
Date: 2022-05-02

Why do so many people believe the 2020 election was stolen? And why do those people want to make it harder to vote? The answers to this question take us all the way back to the beginning of US history.

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Books cited in this video:
Our Declaration by Danielle Allen
One Person, No Vote by Carol Anderson
Disenfranchising Democracy by David A. Bateman

Articles and videos cited:
Ruby Freeman's story: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-election-threats-georgia/
Kanye West's publicist and Ruby Freeman: https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/kanye-west-publicist-pressed-georgia-election-worker-confess-bogus-fraud-charges-2021-12-10/
Biden's lead in close states: https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/11/14/magic-wall-how-biden-beat-trump-2020-election-ac360-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/presidential-election-2020/
Trump and Georgia secretary of State (calls Ruby Freeman a "scammer"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW_Bdf_jGaA&t=222s
Fact check of OANN false story about Freeman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq1QvLdznyo
Cyber Ninjas' findings: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/24/trump-friendly-cyber-ninjas-audit-of-arizona-votes-still-shows-biden-won.html
Viviette Applewhite, elderly woman who can't get voter ID: https://www.aclu.org/video/viviette-applewhite-pennsylvanians-risk-losing-vote
Dodge City, KS poll closing: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/dodge-city-voters-fight-government-for-better-voting-access-1358782019717
North Dakota Native IDs and street addresses: https://www.npr.org/2018/10/13/657125819/many-native-ids-wont-be-accepted-at-north-dakota-polling-places
State legislatures overturning elections: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/election-sabotage-scheme-and-how-congress-can-stop-it
Barton Gellman on Trump in 2024: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/january-6-insurrection-trump-coup-2024-election/620843/
Adam Serwer on Democrats and Illegitimacy: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/voter-fraud/617354/
Ed McBroom: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/753/failure-to-communicate/act-one-15
MyPillow Guy fact-checked: https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2021/08/13/mike-lindell-symposium-osullivan-pkg-ac360-vpx.cnn
Violence at 1968 Democratic convention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XzdltsTfvE
Nixon's "Silent Majority" speech: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/richardnixongreatsilentmajority.html
Bernie and Hillary cowrite Democratic platform: https://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2016/jul/12/sanders-clinton-endorsement-progressive-platform
Biden and progressives write platform together: https://www.npr.org/2020/07/08/889189235/democratic-task-forces-deliver-biden-a-blueprint-for-a-progressive-presidency
George HW Bush on "voodoo economics:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2UAuFArbOY
George HW Bush "Read My Lips, No New Taxes:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdVSqSNHhVo
Obama 2004 Dem convention speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWynt87PaJ0
Candace Owens on Voter ID: https://www.prageru.com/video/voter-suppression-you-mean-voter-id
Ann Coulter thinks literacy tests are ok? https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-friends/fox-news-asks-if-its-time-revisit-voter-literacy-test-requirements
Idaho Legislator: "Voting Shouldn't Be Easy" https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/politics-government/2021-02-11/top-idaho-republican-voting-shouldnt-be-easy-in-attempt-to-outlaw-ballot-harvesting
Texas voting restrictions and "Purity of the Ballot Box" https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/05/09/texas-purity-ballot-box-black/
Mitt Romney on Obama's "gifts" to voters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul_F-UoYEC0
Michigan Emergency Manager law: https://www.aclumich.org/en/cases/emergency-manager-law
Benton Harbor emergency manager sells public park: https://www.michiganradio.org/politics-government/2012-07-16/benton-harbor-emergency-manager-sells-parkland-he-shouldnt-have
Flint water crisis and emergency managers: https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2018/01/city_of_the_state_flints_histo.html

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
15:05 Media Bubbles and the "Silent Majority"
27:56 "Voting Shouldn't Be Easy"
40:58 The Wrong Reasons for Voting
59:52 Conclusion

Hi! I'm Char. I make video essays about media criticism, politics, literature, and queerness. Let's take some crazy cultural objects and figure out what they mean.