Statement On President Biden’s State of the Union

Ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union address to U.S. Congress tomorrow, Informing Democracy Executive Director Jenna Lowenstein issued the following statement:

“In the years since President Biden’s first address at the Capitol, which took place just months after a deadly insurrection, our country has faced a growing movement to sow doubt over the results of our elections and change whose votes are counted.

“As President Biden addresses our lawmakers tomorrow, we are reminded of the sobering fact that election deniers and those who would seek to undermine our democracy are actively sitting in the halls of Congress—with one of the most dangerous election deniers in the country sitting directly behind him as he addresses the nation.

“Even worse, this threat has spread to every state—from local officials posing threats to fair elections, to the weaponization of election conspiracy theories—as the anti-democracy movement grows in strength and becomes better organized. Our democracy is still at risk today and the call to action is clear: we need to monitor for threats and hold accountable the people threatening our elections.”

Additional Background:

As we head into 2024, with election subverters and conspiracists in positions of power in states across the country, Informing Democracy is doubling down on its mission to shine a light on the vote counting and certification processes, and the local officials whose job it is to uphold them.

Last year, Informing Democracy identified more than 200 election deniers and anti-democratic actors in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in an effort to educate the public and the press about potential vulnerabilities. This year, our team is monitoring concerning trends sweeping across the country—like election officials rejecting outcomes, candidates challenging election results in court, or conspiracy theorists using printing errors to spread blatant misinformation. Throughout 2024, we will also continue to call out and analyze how proposed changes to laws, guidance, and processes can either bolster or erode the democratic process.

To receive regular updates about our work and resources to inform yours, please sign up for our Substack here. To speak with one of our lawyers and researchers, please reach out to Ryan Thomas at press@informingdemocracy.org.