By Ray Cardello for August 13, 2023, Season 21 / Post 19

My concern for the 2024 Election is not whether we can get the right candidates up and down the ballot but whether we can beat the Election laws, media bias, and big money. Long gone are the days when the best candidate with the best grasp of the issues has the highest odds of winning. I will not go so far as to say Donald Trump won the 2020 Election, but I challenge anyone to defend Biden for garnering 81 million votes during a Pandemic and hardly leaving his basement.

I believe a special election in Ohio and a recent vote on an abortion bill in Maine bear me out. Both had abortion implications, but one showed a turnout that was difficult to accept, and the other showed utter contempt for the will of the people. Both had enormous amounts of special interest pro-choice money spent. Let’s break them down.

Ohio Special Election to determine the percentage of votes to amend the state constitution.

The current law requires a simple majority of 50% Plus 1. aConservatives attempted to change the bar to a supermajority of 60% Plus 1. The reason for this effort was to protect current state abortion laws. If Issue 1 had passed, it would be more difficult for the abortion rights ballot measure to pass in November. Because of the potential of stricter abortion regulations, the PAC money came out big. Over 3 million votes were cast, with the NO votes getting 57% of the votes. The majority of the NO votes came from Ohio’s four big cities- Columbus, Dayton, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. The suburbs voted overwhelmingly YES. Just two years ago, almost 4 million voters turned out to elect a Governor, Senator, and all Representatives. Republican candidates swept the 2022 Election, which draws attention to the number of votes and how they fell in 2023. You can i0make up your mind on the number of votes and the side that won the day.

Maine Bill to allow elective abortions up to the moment of birth.

In Maine, the State government debated and voted on a new bill that would give the right to abort a fetus up to the moment of birth. Polls showed the support to defeat this bill and protect the unborn was at an astronomical 85%. It is difficult to get 85% of the population to agree on any issue. The State Legislature disregarded the will of the people and passed the late-term abortion provision, and the Governor signed the bill into law. Planned Parenthood not only spent nearly $1 Million to support passage but was present in the House and Senate to whip up votes to pass the bill. There is no way to spend that much money in Maine without making individual deposits in Democrat campaign coffers. The will of the people was tabled, and an unpopular Bill was passed. People who were in the Statehouse for both votes claimed the sight of Planned Parenthood supporters whipping support was a slap to the Democratic process.

We have much to do before 2024. Pick the right candidate, raise massive amounts of money, and keep a watchful eye on every voting spot to ensure the credibility of the voting process. We also have to keep writing and letting people know the truth and to success or failure of Republican candidates. Today, it looks like the battlefield is slanted against us.