We cannot have another Jan. 6
"We must demand institutions, leaders, and officials go on the record to commit to counting every vote and certifying what voters decide, that we will swear in a government elected by the people."
The Recombobulation Area is a thirteen-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning weekly opinion column and online publication founded by longtime Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. The Recombobulation Area is now part of Civic Media.
This is an opinion column written by Angela Lang, executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC). Lang is a regular contributor to The Recombobulation Area, is the winner of an award from the Milwaukee Press Club for her work at the publication.
We the people decide who will govern in our name. But MAGA forces want to try to change that.
Respecting the will of the people is how our democracy works. MAGA conspiracy theorists wanted to lock in white supremacy, take away our freedoms and make this a country run by the wealthy few.
Jan. 6 is one of those days where you will always remember where you were when you first heard the news. The BLOC team hadn’t come back from winter break yet and I was home watching the news when I began to see the images of people storming the Capitol. I texted a friend, and very quickly we realized this was much more than a protest. The anxiety we all felt when we had no idea how this was going to play out. Am I really watching people try and overthrow the government in real time?
While there have been attempts at accountability, the political landscape has gotten even more tense. The 2020 presidential election brought an unprecedented amount of conspiracy theories, largely due to Former President Trump not accepting the election results. “The Big Lie” was created and it has only taken off since then.
Political violence has become a constant threat to our democracy. With the former president surviving two assassination attempts, along with a rise in interpersonal political violence, we know how tense this election cycle has been. There are strong feelings on both sides about the future of this country, understandably so.
When I first started organizing more than 15 years ago, an election loss didn’t feel like the end of democracy. I remember thinking at some point “dang my candidate didn’t win, but that’s okay.” There was a certain civility and an understanding about the concept of a peaceful transfer of power. That seemingly is gone.
After what happened on Jan. 6, people are bracing for what the certification of this election will look like. Will there be another attempted coup? Just like in 2020, Republicans are spreading lies and false claims about voting in order to justify vetoing the votes of Black, Brown, and young Americans. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson is already making baseless allegations that Democrats will cheat in the 2024 election.
In Wisconsin, we cannot begin to process absentee ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day under state law, and changes to that law were blocked by Republicans in the Wisconsin State Senate. The process to count votes is lengthy, but incredibly transparent. Trump’s allies and supporters believe the 2020 election was stolen despite the logical explanations for when ballots are counted. Trump is already inoculating permission to do another Jan. 6 if he loses again.
It is not only important for the safety of voters, but for the future of democracy that there is not another Jan. 6 attempt. Organizations are fighting back to continue to create a true democracy, while MAGA Republicans want to take us back to a time where freedom was only reserved for a handful of wealthy, white men.
As imperfect as our democracy can be, we know we all value our freedom and want our voices to be heard in the democratic process. No matter your political affiliation, those are values we can all can believe in. We must demand institutions, leaders, and officials go on the record to commit to counting every vote and certifying what voters decide, that we will swear in a government elected by the people. Local clerks, and our Wisconsin Election Commission are working tirelessly and it may be a long election night and long few days for every vote to be counted.
The results are official only when every vote has been counted. Not a moment before and not when some pundit or influencer gets in front of a camera. On Election Night and in the immediate days afterwards, MAGA-aligned forces — from Fox News commentators to billionaires like Elon Musk to fringe outlets like Newsmax — may try and declare a Trump victory by vetoing the votes of Black, Brown, young and new Americans and spreading false claims on the platforms they control. We see through it because we know X Marks the Lie. They want to deceive us into letting them decide our future for us, but we will ensure the will of the people prevails, just like we did in 2020.
Election Commissioner Bob Spindell was a fake elector in 2020 and continues to serve on the Wisconsin Election Commission. Spindell has since settled the lawsuit against him and others, and admitted Biden did indeed win the 2020 election. Many critics aren’t so sure that he actually believes what he said in the settlement. Most believe he said what he needed to say in order to settle the lawsuit. We will see over the course of the next couple months if he is willing to learn from his mistakes, and uphold the will of the people this time.
Lies about the 2020 election are not only an attack on our democracy, but also puts some of the most marginalized at risk. I’ve heard people say they will put away their Kamala Harris yard sign before the election because they are afraid of retaliation if she wins. Some Trump supporters simply cannot accept a loss and will only be emboldened if Trump and his allies continue to threaten the peaceful transition of power.
In 2020, we saw stark racial undertones to this, as well. Trump only asked for a recount in Milwaukee and Dane County, two of the most racially diverse counties in Wisconsin. MAGA and far-right extremists put targets on the backs of every voter on the other side of the aisle, including people of color. Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Jill Karofsky said Trump’s lawsuit “smacks of racism”. It was an attack on our democracy, and an attack on voters of color, and it trickles down interpersonally.
Wisconsin is known to have close elections, and there is a process for candidates to challenge or ask for a recount. Candidates have that right, but storming the Capitol and attempting to overthrow the government is not a part of that right. We count on us to show we're not going back, not to Jan. 6, not to the 1800s. By taking action together, just as our generation did in 2020 and like our ancestors in the civil rights movement did before us, we will defy MAGA attempts to overthrow the will of the people and ensure our elected officials count every vote and certify what voters decide.
By ensuring that everyone respects the democratic process, we not only protect ourselves from further political violence, but also protect and preserve our democracy for future generations.
Angela Lang was born and raised in the heart of Milwaukee. She has an extensive background in community organizing. In the past, Angela served as both an organizer and State Council Director for the Service Employees International Union, working on such campaigns as the Fight for 15. Before founding BLOC, Angela was the Political Director with For Our Future Wisconsin. She is a graduate of Emerge Wisconsin. She currently is the Vice President of the ACLU of Wisconsin Board and sits on the board for Diverse and Resilient, a non profit organization that supports the LGBTQ community in Wisconsin, as well as on the board for the Milwaukee Parks Foundation.
Angela is motivated by making substantial and transformative change in her community while developing young, local leaders of color. Her journey in organizing hasn't always been easy, but through it all she has remained a fierce advocate for securing more seats at the table for those who represent the New American Majority.
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