Lane von Herzen: Adequately Preparing the American Electorate for the Midterm Elections

1. What are your thoughts about National Guardsmen and ICE being deployed to polling locations?

Answer: Anytime armed personnel are standing by during a voting process that should be free and fair, we need to acknowledge that there is substantive potential for a corrupted voting process.

2. What do you mean by that assertion?

Answer: We live in an era of knowingly falsified law enforcement reporting. In judicial settings, two or more witness statements from law enforcement officials are considered highly credible evidence.

Imagine 100 people arriving at a polling location. There's a little bit of a line as a result, and the line winds left and right in front of law enforcement personnel who are closely observing each voter. Quite a few voters have cell phones in their hands. A few may be having conversations on those phones, or with their spouses or neighbors while waiting in line. And, it goes without saying, this whole series of events is being filmed.

Everything appears to proceed normally in the voting process itself.

But a few hours later, without voters being informed, the law enforcement officers who were present at the time of the voting procedure file false witness statements alleging felonious content on voters' cell phones and felonious conduct within the voting hall. AI-generated film backs up everything they say. Some innocent voters may be arrested on the basis of the false allegations, and there may be a number of civilian witnesses who are also providing false witness statements to corroborate the other false evidence. What could the false accusations be? Jonathan Glaser was trying to vote twice. Or Mary Allenby signed a ballot for her sick mother who wasn't present. Basically, the false allegations would have to do with voter fraud.

Out of the 100 voters who showed up at the polling station at 12:00 noon, 37 were chosen ahead of time by an AI algorithm to be accused of a voting fraud conspiracy. Another 10 were directed to file false witness statements about what they saw. The remaining 53 are left alone for the time being.

And charges are filed against the 37 voters in a judicial proceeding that includes submission of all of the "evidence," after which their votes are disqualified on the basis that they are now convicted felons.

The thirty-seven disqualifications, multiplied across the national electorate, are enough to alter a number of voting outcomes. And that was the point all along.

3. Could this kind of scheme represent the basis for mass arrests?

Answer: Easily. But it's just as likely that the processes of voter disqualification would be concealed from the public, and the reported voting percentages would be extremely close to 50/50 voting outcomes. A given state senator would have won by just 312 votes, for example. Close race! So the disqualifications of votes would be entirely obscured.

With the help of AI-generated video, AI-generated cell phone communications, false testaments from law enforcement and false witness statements from other voters and voting personnel -- enough evidence would be present for mass convictions on the basis of a voter fraud conspiracy.

And you're off to the races at that point.

4. What do you mean by that?

Answer: The public trust has been violated. Anything can happen following the breach of the public's good faith.

5. What could protect against a scenario like the one you describe?

Answer: Filming with cell phones is generally prohibited inside and directly outside of polling locations, so this represents a substantive issue in terms of a truthful counterargument to false allegations.

I think Americans who are voting in person can go to the polls with friends and family members, who will stand as a bulwark against any false narrative. Voters can try to have a benevolent "voting buddy" who will confirm that everything they did inside the polling station was appropriate and lawful. And if someone finds herself or himself alone at the polling station, she or he can ask a benevolent stranger to vouch for their good conduct.

It is our bonds to one another that support our human rights.

We need to call on one another's kindness and responsiveness to ensure that our votes will be counted.

Further, during the time delay when the votes are being counted, Americans can email their County Voting Registrars to ask "Was my vote counted?" Their registrars will answer them! And this is a step everyone can be taking to safeguard our elections as well.

One of the things that political parties can be doing to ensure a free and fair vote is to let their supporters know the email of their local voting registrars and encourage them to follow up right away.

I don't think we can assume that everyone will take the time to look up the information.

But if the email is provided to them, many people will inquire.

In the longer term, there should be independent documentation of all events inside polling locations, and that material should never be made available for AI-generated alterations to content.

These are my recommendations.

They're low tech and achievable, so I hope people will make the extra effort to incorporate them.

6. In your estimation, what are the odds that such a scenario could be attempted during the midterm elections?

Answer: What are the odds that there will be false witness statements and falsified law enforcement reporting connected to the midterms at some level of perpetration? One hundred percent.

It won't happen at every polling location, but it will happen broadly enough to be a substantive concern regarding the integrity and validity of this election.

A scenario involving mass arrests would be much more of a declaration of conflict between the political parties and could involve false charges against members of Congress and state representatives.

But the risks are not low, and I think everyone can ascertain the clear and present concerns.

7. What are the chances that you yourself could be targeted through such a scheme of false reporting?

Answer: Significant. My cell phone appears to be a frequent target of Wifi piracy, so my communications are often faked, I presume. And, if Foundation assets have been returned or will soon be returned, then there may possibly be a high motivation to falsely implicate me for the purpose of profiteering by the Executive Branch.

8. Could such a scheme result in civil strife?

Answer: Peaceable protest is guaranteed by the Constitution. If Americans feel that their votes were not counted, then they will express their concern through peaceful gatherings, I'm sure. The key is to maintain them for enough successive days that the government has to grant concessions. One day of peaceful protests is not that effective. Ten to twenty consecutive days of peaceful protests is something that insists on a changed policy perspective. So, that's what people need to keep in mind.

Americans have a profound sense of fairness and social justice. And we're truly an impressive electorate in this regard, big-hearted and engaged and supportive and genuine.

9. Thank you for speaking with us this evening.

Answer: You are most welcome.