In another apparent attempt to delegitimize the claims of Trump supporters, Boston University professor Ibfram X. Kendi asserted that the term “legal vote” is “racist.”
Kendi declared on Twitter that “The term ‘legal vote’ is as fictionally fraught and functionally racist as the terms ‘illegal alien’ and ‘race neutral’ and ‘welfare queen” and ‘handouts’ and ‘super predator’ and ‘crackbaby’ and ‘personal responsibility’ and ‘post racial.’”
The term “legal vote” is as fictionally fraught and functionally racist as the terms “illegal alien” and “race neutral” and “welfare queen” and “handouts” and “super predator” and “crackbaby” and “personal responsibility” and “post racial.”
— Ibram X. Kendi (@ibramxk) November 7, 2020
He went on to assert that allegations of voter fraud were inherently racist because they concern cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Phoenix, which have high black populations.
The misinformation of widespread voter fraud—or “illegal voting”—in Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Phoenix where Black and Brown voters predominate is baked into the term "legal vote.” No matter what GOP propaganda says, there’s nothing wrong with those voters and votes.
— Ibram X. Kendi (@ibramxk) November 7, 2020
Kendi’s characterization is obviously another crass effort to delegitimize claims of vote fraud, but as Professor Jonathan Turley points out, far from being “racist,” the term “legal vote” is actually very close to another civil rights era term, “one man, one vote.”
“The doctrine of “one man, one vote” is actually a civil rights mantra found not only in constitutional law but political movements (like this Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee button). It is the doctrine embraced in a long series of court cases. See Gray v. Sanders, 372 U.S. 368 (1963); Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964); Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1 (1964); and Avery v. Midland County, 390 U.S. 474 (1968),” writes Turley.
“The declaration of illegal votes as racist is clearly meant to paint anyone considering the current challenges as themselves racist, even before these claims are fully addressed in the courts,” added Turley.
“Yet, such challenges often are filed to protect minority votes. In the 2004 election, I was working for CBS and raised whether there should be challenges in Ohio over voter suppression and irregularities targeting minority areas in the Bush/Kerry race. The very heart of our civil rights and voting rights laws is found in our political system and the integrity of our elections. Illegal voting diminishes the voice of all Americans, including minority voters.”
