Republican Electoral Manipulation After Jan 6

Abstract

This article shows that numerous prominent members of the Republican Party have resorted to the same electoral manipulation tactics that former president Donald Trump utilized in 2020. A case study analyzing acts of electoral manipulation undertaken by members of the Republican party in 2021 and 2022 demonstrates that Republicans have been actively engaging in breaking democratic norms, spreading disinformation, gerrymandering, restricting opportunities for voting, pressuring fellow partisans to participate in electoral manipulation, intimidating those who resist their manipulation efforts, creating an atmosphere accepting of political violence, and corrupting democratic institutions. There are also similarities between Trump and other Republicans in how the tactics are used. Just like Trump in 2020, prominent Republicans have been using different manipulation tools in concert to create a whole that is larger than the sum of its parts. The situation has various implications for the 2024 presidential election, which are discussed in the concluding chapter of this article.