As questions of election integrity swarm the 2020 election, citizens in North Texas rallied in support of President Donald Trump. A number of citizens also expressed a desire for the Texas Legislature to make state elections more secure.
Despite the mainstream media coronating Democrat nominee Joe Biden as president before the states certify their results, citizens expressed concern about the integrity of the election.
Their concerns were amplified by a lack of transparency in ballot counting in states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, and Federal Elections Commission Chair Trey Trainor said last week that he believed voter fraud is happening.
Over the past couple of days, citizens in North Texas rallied in support of Trump and election integrity.
A âStop the Steal Rallyâ sprouted in Rockwall on Sunday, organized over just a few days âbecause passion moves quickly,â grassroots activist Keenan Williams said.
Another âStop the Stealâ rally popped up that same day in Grapevine. âI wasnât sure what the attendance on this was going to be,â citizen Chris Dillard said in a video that showed several citizens waving Trump flags and shouting, âDrain the swamp!â
Citizens were holding signs that read âStop the Steal,â âMake America Fair Again,â and âFight Against Ballot Fraud and Corruption.â
On Monday morning, citizens in Dallas County gathered for their own âStop the Stealâ rally, where grassroots activist Troy Jackson led them in chanting, âStop the steal!â
âHow is it that you can have more people vote than you have registered to vote?â Jackson asked.
âWhy would the major news media stop their vote counting at 10:30 at night?â citizen Patricia Flornoy asked.
âItâs kind of interesting that theyâve been screaming about voter fraud since 2016,â said citizen Warren Johnson. âNow they want us to believe, I assume, all of a suddenâin the last couple of weeks or monthsâthey have cleared all the voting irregularities out.â
âI think that the media is maintaining their same position that they had before the election,â Alan said. âThey are pressing to remove Donald Trump at any cost.â
Grassroots leaders at the rallies encouraged citizens to stand up.
At the Dallas rally, Pastor Stephen Broden encouraged citizens to push the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case. âIf we do not get up now and push back, we will deserve what we get.â
âI implored folks not to emulate the tea party,â True Texas Project CEO Julie McCarty said about her speech at the Grapevine rally, referencing the movement that sprouted in response to then-President Obamaâs socialist agenda. âMost groups rallied, then gathered to complain, then fizzled out.â
Questions of election integrity are not limited to states other than Texas, though. There are recent allegations of election fraud in San Antonio, as well as charges in Limestone County. Grassroots leaders have also said elections in Texas were vulnerable going into 2020 due to inaction by the Texas legislature.
Citizens at the Rockwall rally cheered when newly elected State Rep. Bryan Slaton called for new election integrity laws to be passed by the Texas Legislature in 2021.
Texas Scorecard asked citizens at the Dallas rally if the legislature should act.
âI think thatâs got to be one of the top three,â Johnson said.
âWe have to get to the bottom of it, and [there are] organizations here to help them get to the bottom of it,â Flornoy said.
Texas Scorecard asked State Sen. Bob Hall (RâEdgewood) and Slaton what action they would take to push election integrity laws in the new session.
âWeâre going back with the bills that we didnât get passed last session,â Hall replied. âOur larger counties seem to be where the problems are. I think the state is going to have to take [a] more active role in what happens in some of the larger counties.â
âRegardless [of] if I file it or someone else does, Iâm going to be behind it like it was my own,â Slaton said. âIâm wanting to get it in any way I can, whether itâs [a] full bill, amendment, anything.â
When asked how theyâd feel if the legislature doesnât act, citizens didnât respond positively.
âBoy, will I be angry!â Johnson exclaimed.
âI wonât ever feel comfortable voting ever again,â Joy Miller replied. âIt will ruin our entire democracy.â
âWe need to get into the primaries and get those people out and put people in who will do something about it,â Flornoy stated.
Hall and Slaton said citizens can help the cause by getting involved and contacting their elected officials.
âIf we donât get that this next session, then weâll be no different than a banana republic,â Hall said.
Concerned citizens may contact their elected state representative and state senator.