Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) warned voters if Democrats lose the majority in 2022, “it could be the last election.”
During an appearance on “All In with Chris Hayes,” the host mentioned a tweet Swalwell posted over the weekend.
“Every politician says this is the most important election of our lifetime. It may be. But it could also be the last one. Republicans have chosen violence over voting. We have to outvote the violence. Saddle up,” Swalwell wrote.
Every politician says this is the most important election of our lifetime. It may be. But it could also be the last one. Republicans have chosen violence over voting. We have to outvote the violence. Saddle up: https://t.co/5g82bvldTZ
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) January 2, 2022
Explaining the meaning behind the tweet, Swalwell said, “I’m worried that if Republicans win in the midterm elections, that voting as we know it in this country will be gone. They’re already putting as many barriers to the ballot box as possible in Arizona, Florida, Texas, Georgia.”
He continued, “And on the other side of the finish line, they’re putting in place processes where they could reverse the outcome even if we crawl through glass and run through the fire to get to the ballot box. And so if they are able to win the House, the damage they could do to permanently make it difficult to vote and just alter the way that we participate in the democratic process could be irreversible.”
Check out the interview below:
Swalwell argued this is “not only the most important election,” adding, “If we don’t get it right, it could be the last election. Because they’re also putting in place what I believe is a way to make sure that Donald Trump wins with what they’re doing across state legislatures to allow them to reverse the outcome and the electoral college.”
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, between January 1 and September 27 of 2021, at least 19 states enacted 33 laws that make it more difficult for Americans to vote.
Last month, The New York Times reported Republicans in at least five states, including Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire, have filed bills “before next legislative sessions have even started that seek to restrict voting in some way, including by limiting mail voting.”