How Republican Extremists Captured State Governments #TheBlackTable

David Pepper argues that state legislatures, not just federal bodies, are the primary battlegrounds where democracy is being undermined. He notes that over 30 state legislatures are controlled by the Republican Party through gerrymandering and voter suppression, allowing them to pass extreme legislation without accountability. This phenomenon, which he terms 'laboratories of autocracy,' enables a 'downward spiral' of extremism, corruption, and poor public outcomes.

Pepper's book 'Laboratories of Autocracy' and examples like the Tennessee Three expulsion and Ohio's voter suppression tactics. He states, 'It's not Marjorie Taylor Green and it's not George Santos. It's those Tennessee gerrymandered Republicans who attack and attack and attack.'

The guest details how seemingly minor policy changes, like limiting ballot dropboxes, are part of a larger, coordinated voter suppression strategy. He recounts Ohio's Secretary of State limiting dropboxes to one per county during COVID-19, creating massive traffic jams and discouraging voting. This tactic, initially implemented in Ohio, then became a model for other states to replicate, particularly after Black voters began using dropboxes in high numbers.

Pepper describes the 'massive struggle' in Ohio over dropboxes, where the Secretary of State 'lied through for months saying there was no legal authority to add more dropboxes.' After winning lawsuits, only one dropbox per county was allowed, leading to 'traffic jams' and becoming a 'model' for other states to limit or eliminate dropboxes.

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) plays a crucial role in coordinating and weaponizing state houses. ALEC provides model legislation that benefits its corporate members (e.g., energy companies, for-profit schools) and advances a far-right agenda. This legislation is then rapidly passed in states where gerrymandering and lack of accountability ensure minimal opposition, creating a synchronized attack on public goods and democratic processes across the country.

Pepper explains ALEC 'takes everything I've talked about and puts it on steroids.' He states, 'It basically takes everything I've talked about and puts it on steroids. It doesn't go one state at a time. It says across the states that we control, that we've hijacked... we are going to just rush through bill after bill that we write in some hotel room somewhere that benefits our members.'

When state legislatures gain unchecked power, they extend their attacks to other branches of government, particularly the judiciary. In Ohio, after Democrats gained a third seat on the Supreme Court, the Republican legislature responded by changing election rules for judges (adding party ID to ballots), gerrymandering appellate districts, and simply ignoring Supreme Court rulings for over a year and a half, effectively nullifying judicial oversight.

Pepper describes Ohio's 'Wisconsin moment' in 2020 when an independent court emerged. The legislature 'changed the rules of how we elect courts so that party ID is on the ballot,' 'gerrymandering the appellet districts,' and 'simply ignored rulings they didn't like for a year and a half.'