Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel accused Democrats of not wanting the GOP to follow the same voting rules as they do.
McDaniel made her remarks in a Thursday column in The Washington Post.
“Democrats are deploying an 'army of poll watchers’ this November, and for the first time in decades the Republican Party can too,” she said.
“Since 1982, only the Democratic National Committee has been afforded this standard practice, after Democrats sued the Republican National Committee, accusing us of voter intimidation in a New Jersey governor’s race.
“The case was settled and resulted in a federal court consent decree that curbed Republican ballot-security efforts for 38 years, giving the Democrats a significant advantage in their political get-out-the-vote operations, recounts and absentee and provisional ballot ‘chases.’”
Now, she said it is “clear” Democrats want to “maintain that court-imposed leg up on Republicans.”
She noted many believe poll watchers are there to deter voter fraud.
“While that is one of the legitimate reasons for observing the elections process, getting out the vote is equally important,” McDaniel said.
“The consent decree prevented the RNC from coordinating with our presidential candidates and state parties in a common practice known as ‘poll flushing,’ in which volunteers can look at precinct lists to see who has voted.”
And she claimed Democrats are spreading a narrative of “voter suppression catastrophe.”
“In reality, the biggest threat to turnout is not Republican,” she said. “It is the lack of excitement for Joe Biden.”
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.