Op-Ed: Biden: It’s Not Who Can Vote, But Who Gets to Count the Vote

By Ken Blackwell in Townhall

Editor's Note: This column was co-authored by Lori Roman.

It is a shocking statement that could easily be attributed to a third world dictator. When asked about election legislation this week, the president of the United States of America stated, “It’s not who can vote, but who gets to count the vote. Who counts the vote—that’s what this is about.” 

The definition of a political gaffe is when a politician accidentally tells you what they really think.  And what President Biden really thinks is that the Feds should take over elections, stripping states of their election responsibilities as designated by the U.S. Constitution.  The Dems want to control who counts the votes. 

The Democrats’ latest attempt to take over elections was the John Lewis Voting Rights Act—also called the “Freedom to Vote Act.” It was aptly renamed the “Freedom to Cheat Act” by many. While they may not get it through the Senate, they will likely try to sneak language into other bills that will continue to steal power from the states and give it to unelected federal bureaucrats. 

Democrats want the federal government to have complete control over the election process and many haven’t tried to hide the fact that they think this is the only way they can win in 2022 and beyond.  They plan to irrevocably change the very fundamental principles, practices, and ideals upon which this country was founded and under which it has successfully stayed free for nearly 250 years…for one reason: power.  

Why the urgent call to give the power of elections to unelected federal bureaucrats? Where are these civil rights violations that the Democrats now reference? 

These are the same Democrats who have forcefully told us that there were no patterns of irregularities or unconstitutional actions in the last election.  They have told us for over a year, that to question the results of an election is an act of subversion. They have told us that to protest possible voting irregularities and potential fraud could be construed as an attempt to overthrow the government. If you question any election practices, they will label you a conspiracy theorist.

The Dems are seeking to institutionalize and nationalize every change they made to elections under the guise of protecting people from COVID. Eradicating voter identification. Weakening absentee ballot protections. Making it easier for fraudsters to steal ballots from vulnerable voters. 

Do not be fooled. If they don’t get this done through the John Lewis bill, they will not give up. 

The American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU) has been working on election integrity for more than a dozen years. We have a vote fraud hotline that was fully operational and advertised in all demographic areas—red and blue.  We received hundreds of tips during the 2020 election and 2021 Georgia runoff and almost every complaint we received was related to an incident that was made WORSE by Leftists changes to election laws.  

Mass absentee ballot mailing, advocated by the Left, created conditions for fraud, with unrequested ballots being sent to out to the last known address of those who had died, or moved.   Voter identification laws, weakened by Democrats, made it easier for bad actors to impersonate legal voters. We received complaints by people who went to vote on Election Day only to find that someone had already voted on their behalf during early voting. 

The ACRU hotline received tips that leftist activist organizations were taking completed ballots from nursing homes with a promise that they would make it to the election office. This completely insecure process was a prescription for fraud. 

Most disturbing of all were allegations that nursing home workers, many unionized, were filling out ballots for residents and sometimes threatening residents that if they did not fill out the ballot “right” (meaning for Biden) that they would not get their food or meds. 

Our Protect Vulnerable Voters Project works to protect the real victims of leftist efforts to subvert election integrity measures, such as those being investigated in Wisconsin.  

The Left has broadcast their plans to: eradicate voter identification, end signature matching on absentee ballots, allow strangers to collect and turn in ballots, place ballot boxes in unsecure locations, and mass mail ballots to people who did not request them. And if all of that doesn’t get them the win, they are ready to make sure that unelected federal bureaucrats upend state election integrity laws and determine who counts the ballots where you live. 

Americans care about election integrity and a large majority agree with common sense measures like requiring voter identification. It is time to unite to protect the vote against leftist power grabs…before our election system looks like that of a third world country. 

At the moment, it already looks like a country in which the Babylon Bee’s satire seems more honest than any mainstream media news—Democrats warn that republicans may steal the election by blocking democrat efforts to steal the election.

Ken Blackwell sevres as Chair, Center for Election Integrity for the America First Policy Institute (AFPI).