By Gregory Crofton
If you think about it — and most of us choose not to — this criminal act shouldn’t be a surprise given how central “winning” is to the American character.
Within my lifetime it’s become increasing common to hear about presidential elections being stolen. The first time I heard of it was 2000, when the Supreme Court voted to hand the presidency to George W. Bush after it ruled to end a recount in Florida.
So … with all the rage and corruption that former President Donald J. Trump continues to inject into our drowning democracy it is no wonder that Georgia and other states have altered laws to suppress votes to help get Trump back in office. This documentary from investigative journalist Greg Palast lays out some facts. They are damning and a little overwhelming.
“Vigilantes Inc: America’s New Vote Suppression Hitmen” shows how Gov. Brian Kemp, previously Georgia’s Secretary State for eight years, led the passage of SB202, a law that makes it legal for a state resident to challenge the voting right of another resident, no evidence required. Typically it involves suppressing the votes of people of color through “proof” of residency. Does that person really live in Georgia? That kind of thing.
In Georgia’s Cobb County, election officials reported to Palast’s research team that the voting rights of 48,000 had been challenged.
Palast speaks to Georgia residents who have had their votes stolen because of such a challenge. One Black grandmother who lost her vote says: “I was dead and gone, buried … but I’m still on top of the Earth.”
Another victim was the son of civil rights activist Rev. Harold Turner, who likened the new voting restrictions to Jim Crow law.
“I was angry. I was fearful. I couldn’t believe it,” says Gamaliel Turner, a Black retired major for U.S. Army. “Not my country. Not now. Not this day and time. It was hard to accept.”
After Trump lost the 2020 election, one proven fair by the courts, he worked the phones while his minions attempted to make a case for voter fraud in key districts he lost. And Trump made his infamous call asking an election official in Georgia, of all states, to get him 11,000 votes because that’s what he needed to win.
“Vigilantes Inc.” rings with the kind of truth we must have more of in this country if we are to retain even the shambles of our democracy. Watch a trailer for the film below or the entire film for free by visiting saveyourvote.org.