If the GOP Can't Keep Voters from Putting Abortion on the Ballot, They Will Try To Trick Voters. They Will Cheat.

The "Decline to Sign" movement is gaining traction in GOP-dominated states

I went to Arkansas this weekend to speak to the Crawford County Democrats in Van Buren. This town is very close to my hometown, and I was able to proclaim myself a proud Ozark Hillbilly in front of a crowd and not one person batted an eye.

I am a hillbilly in the most literal sense…it was my high school mascot. True story.

The event to raise money for local Crawford County candidates was held inside an auction house right off the highway. It was a BBQ supper, with a silent auction, and a Bluegrass band. The event also had petitions at the ready for several amendments, including the abortion petition.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed a minivan and a woman stopping each person going down the drive. She was standing next to her van, while a man sat in the driver’s seat. She had what looked like paper tickets in her hand — I assumed she was checking in guests for the event. As I stopped, she smiled and asked if I wanted information on the petition to put abortion on the ballot in Arkansas?

I returned her smile and said, “sure.” She handed me a piece of cardstock with a QR code. I was really excited to scan it, because I thought Arkansas may have a way to electronically sign the petition, and I could share it with my Arkansas friends…

Oof. I was way off.

When I scanned the code, it took me straight to a Google drive. I was hesitant immediately. The first folder in the drive is titled, “Arkansas Abortion Amendment Myth vs. Fact” and that was pretty much a dead giveaway; the lady stopping folks headed to an event intent on signing the abortion petition was going to hit them with disinformation first.

Another folder in the Google drive was something called “Decline to Sign.” This graphic included bulleted points. Among them:

*No licensing for healthcare professionals at abortion medical facilities.

*No ultrasound required before an abortion to determine fetal age and location.

*Would make it harder to combat sex trafficking and child abuse.

*No health and safety standards imposed on abortion clinics.

Wow. That was a lot of weird and incorrect information. I would think a doctor would know the location of a fetus, and forcing a person who has been sex trafficked into delivering a pregnancy is just about the most disgusting and cruel act I can imagine. The rest of the points are at least stretching the truth if not flat out lies.

Was the woman standing in that parking lot just some solitary extremist trying to dissuade voters from signing a petition? Some woman who got a crazy idea, created a Google drive, printed up cardstock with a QR code, and decided to lie to folks on their way to sign a petition in a small town in Arkansas?

No. “Decline to Sign” is a coordinated movement and we saw it in Missouri as well. It is well-funded and not at all grassroots. They have signs, sites, and lawmakers who are bought and paid for to do their dirty work.

Pictured: Nick Myers (right), Chairman of the Missouri GOP, standing outside a signature gathering event in Joplin, MO to dissuade voters from signing.

I noticed “Decline to Sign” popping up on social media from Missouri GOP State Senators and Representatives. The messaging was exactly the same. Some Reps even started tweeting out videos of themselves, sitting on the same couch in front of the same bookcase, reading a script about “out of state” folks coming to Missouri to gather signatures and steal identities or allow abortions up to birth. It was creepy because it was so scripted and the deliveries were so automated. The politicians also had those dead eyes you need to straight up lie to someone.

I’m not exaggerating when I tell you it is Orwellian. Nearly the exact same words were seeping from the dry mouths of several extremist Missouri lawmakers.

There were nearly a dozen who were recruited for the videos, but here are just three examples: Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman, Representative Doug Richey and Representative Justin Sparks.

Each one took their time to stare into the camera and lie about the abortion petition. The videos gave me chills and let me know we are up against a machine that wants to take away bodily autonomy from everyone, and keep us from fighting back with ballot measures to return bodily autonomy.

The good news? Missourians had just over 90 days to gather 180,000 signatures to put abortion on the ballot. Friends, we collected 380,000 signatures! Read that again…we gathered over 200k more signatures than we needed to put the measure on the ballot in November.

We still have obstacles to returning bodily autonomy to Missourians, though. The GOP is planning to take away one person, one vote and strip us of the ability to pass Constitutional amendments. They are planning to take away a simple majority vote to pass amendments. That will be a disaster for Missourians and I’ll write more on it in another post.

Right now, I celebrate. If you want to understand the rage folks feel about an abortion ban, look no further than Missouri. We won’t be stopped. This is a movement of determined people from both sides of the aisle with righteous anger.

Seven states have put the abortion question on the ballot and seven states have proven that voters believe women and girls should have the right to make decisions about their own bodies.

The vast majority of the country believes abortion should be legal. The GOP represents a vocal minority who will lie and cheat to keep over 1/2 of the population without fundamental rights.

They won’t win.

~Jess