Twitter really knows how to help a guy out. Whenever I want to retweet an article about vulnerabilities in our elections, Twitter provides a pop-up asking “do you want to read the article first?” This even happens when it is my own tweet and my own article.
Do I want to read the article first? Nope, I wrote it.
I’d wager this week’s Las Vegas Sun piece – “The Big Lie Laid Bare Again, But Will Nevada GOP Candidates Disavow It?” – won’t face any blocks at Twitter asking if you want to read the article first before you retweet it.
We are all familiar with the big stories of cancel culture. Something more insidious is emerging, where ideas and people are canceled on the margins. Twitter is placing obstacles in front of the spread of conservative ideas.
Want to post an idea about election vulnerabilities on Twitter?
Be careful or be suspended.
I learned this most recently after the organization I run sued the top election official in Fairfax County, Va., just before the election on behalf of a local nonprofit. The official ignored Virginia law and accepted absentee ballot applications without the statutorily required last four digits of the voter’s social security number. This step is designed to prevent mistakes at the election office and the disenfranchisement of voters. Once a ballot goes to the wrong person by mistake, the original registrant will not be allowed to vote.
Postings about this lawsuit were flagged as controversial or questionable by Twitter. Here’s the problem: The Fairfax County election official admitted he wasn’t requiring the numbers. The facts were not in dispute, at least in written stipulations both parties filed in court.