This article by Philip Bump is published by The Washington Post. Here is an excerpt:
The Center for an Informed Public’s report summarizes the effect dryly: “Regardless of the truth of associated claims, these terms and the underlying frame have the potential to mislead voters and increase conflict around ballot drop-off points in future elections.” That, of course, is a large part of the point. Another part is to bolster the idea that something big and illegal occurred in 2020 — filling a demand that Donald Trump has been inflating since even before the election.
And that is why we must be deliberate in explaining why this is no more inherently nefarious than a father driving his kids into Pennsylvania. Groups that focus on increasing turnout collect ballots because it’s a very effective way of ensuring that people vote. True the Vote and others like to imply that something sketchy happens when those ballots enter third-party hands, but the more obvious answer is that the people are doing exactly what they say they’re doing: returning ballots to make sure people vote. The complete absence of evidence of ballot tampering at any noticeable scale should serve as inoculation against vague allegations that ballots are being altered.
Or it would if those engaged in amplifying “trafficking” claims were interested in objective consideration of the process. That they use the term at all, though, makes it obvious that they aren’t.
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