RUTHFULLY YOURS

It looks very bad for the lawsuits seeking to Stop the Steal. That doesn’t mean that there wasn’t massive fraud. The evidence for that is strong, regardless of the legal sophistry used by courts to deny relief. But while those efforts continue, one more election looms.

At this point, we must turn our attention to preventing a repeat of the Georgia fraud this January. In Georgia, Democrats will put everything they’ve done on steroids if we let them. Obviously, a Court decision to block the Consent Decree will go a long way, restoring proper signature verification on mail-in ballots. But even with a win there, we aren’t home free. Lots of other opportunities for mischief exist.

Our chief tool is sunlight. Every tool required to shine a spotlight on the election is off-the-shelf, so we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. With so many millions of dollars being spent on both sides to drive Georgians away from broadcast TV, the Republican Party should divert some to buy up every GoPro camera within a hundred miles of Atlanta. The first place to put them is on poles near every illegal ballot drop box. If they can’t get that done quickly, put up motion-activated “trail cams.”

The cameras should be tied into a large computer network where they are recorded live at a central monitoring location. This should allow detection people illegally placing multiple ballots in the boxes. It would also help identify people who are unlawfully removing the ballots.

While this first stage is running, a much more detailed monitoring stage should be prepared. The center in Atlanta where the votes will be counted should receive a thorough supply of cameras with microphones. If they are positioned over every vote examination station, monitored in real time, and recorded remotely, every act of malfeasance will be on video for all to see. Every vehicle entering or leaving the counting center also needs to be recorded on video. This includes the occupants and any cargo loaded or unloaded.

Monitoring the counting center is simplicity itself. If you’ve been to a pop concert or church, you already know just how we can do this. GoPro cameras can be attached to stage microphone stands with side arm extensions. They will look something like tall desk lamps, positioned directly over every working position, but high enough to be physically out of the way. Because they are on mobile stands, they can be set up quickly, and taken down just as soon as the job is done. Connecting them to an independent hard-wired network based in a support truck will look much like the TV setup for major sporting events. In short, expertise for this is readily available.

Democrats will certainly complain, but none of this will intrude on workspaces any more than the table where workers sit. There will be no concern for social distancing or mask wearing because no one is standing close to them. In short, no complaint should withstand judicial scrutiny. Just to make things even more open, the feeds could be made available to other interested parties.

This won’t remove the need for in-person work. While, manpower permitting, every workstation can be monitored remotely in real time, disputes will require staff on the floor to present objections. And again, in the interest of openness, a Republican challenge could also be communicated to Democrat observers. Thus, any challenge could be dealt with in an efficient manner. But where observers have been forced into figurative corners, now high-resolution observation can allow “up close and personal” verification without intruding on personal space.

The Steal was conducted “in the darkness.” Observers were kept away. Vehicles arrived and unloaded unmonitored boxes of ballots with no chain of custody. The Consent Agreement eliminated real signature matching. By shining a light on every step of the process, Georgia Republicans can force the election into the light, eliminating a lot of the fraud along the way.