E.J. Dionne, Jr. asks Are Republicans abandoning democracy? The clear answer is “yes.”
As Charles Blow explains, Republican Efforts to End Democracy:
Do not believe that we are still living in a functioning democracy. We are not. Republicans across this country are doing everything they can to impede, alter and override the power of the personal vote. This strikes at the very heart of democracy, both undermining people’s faith in it and contorting it until it no long resembles what it claims to be.
From Wisconsin, to Michigan to North Carolina, there is a Republican coup against democracy occurring right now before our eyes. Lame-duck Republicans are stripping their Democratic successors of constitutional powers on taking office.
This is also being contemplated right here in Arizona. The election of Democrat Katie Hobbs as Secretary of State has Republicans apoplectic. They have been spouting wild conspiracy theories about voter fraud being responsible for Democratic wins in the recent election.
Now our Trump troll Representative-elect John Kavanagh is proposing eliminating the Secretary of State office altogether — because a Democrat has been elected to the office — and creating a lieutenant governor who runs in tandem with the governor, because of Arizona’s constitutional rules of succession.
The Arizona Capitol Times reports, Democratic SOS spurs talk of change in line of succession:
The election of a Democrat as Arizona’s next secretary of state has renewed some Republicans’ interest in the line of succession.
That’s because if anything were to happen to Republican Gov. Doug Ducey – be it resignation, impeachment or an untimely death – Democrat Katie Hobbs would be next in line to serve as the state’s chief executive.
Given the lengthy history of Arizona governors who don’t serve full terms in office, some lawmakers want to shake up the gubernatorial line of succession by inserting a new player – a lieutenant governor. But they’ll have to convince voters, who’ve routinely rejected the idea, to go along with it.