House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) worked with various far-right social media influencers, including Chaya Raichik, known as Libs of TikTok, to endorse a false voting reform bill that Johnson proposed last week with former President Donald Trump (R). The bill aimed to prohibit non-citizens from voting, which is already prohibited by federal law.
The proposed bill was shared with far-right influencers well before Trump and Johnson publicly revealed it on Friday, as reported by NBC News. Several social media influencers such as Libs of TikTok, DC_Draino, EndWokeness, Turning Point USA, and Ryan Fournier, chair of Students for Trump, all posted messages on social media supporting the bill. Many of these influencers also promote anti-LGBTQ+ views.
Chaya made a statement saying, “Democrats are purposely importing millions of criminal illegal aliens for their voter base while removing voter ID requirements so they can rig our elections,” which is an untrue and disproven right-wing claim. She insisted that Congress needed to pass the bill, named the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility” [SAVE] Act.
Right-wingers have echoed similar claims as evidence of a secretive Democrat scheme to “steal” elections. However, a study of the 2016 election found only 30 instances of non-citizens voting across the country. Federal law stipulates that non-citizens who vote illegally can face fines, up to a year in prison, and deportation. No state permits non-citizens to vote in state-level elections. a study of the 2016 election found just 30 incidents of non-citizens managing to vote nationwide. Federal law says that non-citizens who illegally vote can face fines, up to a year in prison, and deportation. No state allows non-citizens to cast ballots in state-level elections.
It’s typical for politicians to share plans and announcements with media influencers to coordinate ways of garnering public support for their policies before publicly revealing them.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ (R) office coordinated directly with Raichik and other right-wing media outlets to push disinformation defending his signing of the now-infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill in late March 2022.
Raichik’s previous campaigns against LGBTQ+-friendly hospitals and educators have repeatedly led to death and bombing threats against the individuals she targets. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) recently included Raichik in its public database of extremist individuals, organizations, and ideologies.
Johnson, who has many ties to Christian Nationalists, has worked for the anti-LGBTQ+ hate group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). While there, he argued that gay sex should be illegal. He has said that same-sex marriage will lead to “chaos and sexual anarchy,” people trying to marry their pets, and “pedophiles” seeking legal protections for having sex with kids. He has said, “Homosexual relationships are inherently unnatural… ultimately harmful and costly for everyone.” He is also a supporter of debunked attempts to convert gay individuals to straight.
As a member of Congress, he introduced a federal version of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, claimed that President Joe Biden broke federal law by flying the Progress Pride flag outside the White House, and said that parents don’t have the right to help their children obtain gender-affirming healthcare.
Johnson is on the board of a Christian publishing company that claims MPOX is the “appropriate penalty” for homosexuality. His wife operates a counseling service that compares LGBTQ+ identities to bestiality. Johnson has also expressed that America is “dark and depraved” because there are too many LGBTQ+ people.
