Staff Reports
Matt Braynard, a former staffer on Trump’s 2016 campaign and a steadfast advocate for election integrity, is taking on a surprising new role in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. After tirelessly raising alarms about the integrity of the 2020 election, Braynard is now at the forefront of an initiative to encourage Republican voters to embrace mail-in voting. Talk about a turn of events that would make even a political analyst do a double-take.
Once a prominent figure in the election fraud investigations post-2020, Braynard now leads an experiment aimed at improving the rate of absentee ballot registrations among “low propensity” GOP voters in Fairfax County. His initiative runs counter to the usual Republican motto of skepticism surrounding mail-in voting. Yet, Braynard seems to have identified a tactical pivot to get Republicans on board with absentee ballots. After all, if one can’t beat them, why not join them – and then do everything possible to ensure they vote for the right candidate?
Former Trump staffer who stoked 2020 election challenges leads absentee voting push in Virginia https://t.co/hb5ccntQ8L
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) September 9, 2024
The campaign’s messaging directly targets Republican fears surrounding early and mail-in voting. Braynard has carefully crafted his communications to alleviate concerns while still capitalizing on the lingering distrust many Republicans feel following the 2020 election. With talk of ballots being “stolen” still echoing in party circles, his plan utilizes that very skepticism as a rallying point to promote the practice of voting by mail. It’s an ironic plot twist only politics could conjure, where skepticism leads to strategic acceptance.
This initiative from Braynard aligns with a broader transformation occurring within the Republican Party, which is starting to recognize the necessity of embracing absentee and early voting in preparation for the upcoming elections. Even the former President himself has made the call for Republicans to “bank their vote,” urging supporters to take full advantage of all available voting options. This evolution is proving to be significant, although one can’t help but chuckle at how the party’s tune has changed since the chaotic aftermath of the last election.
Braynard’s endeavor is further solidified by the backing of some of the party’s biggest names, including Virginia’s own Governor Glenn Youngkin and the ever-charismatic Ron DeSantis of Florida. These figures are keen to ensure that the Republican base takes full advantage of the legal avenues available for voting despite their past reservations about the mail-in process. Sending out mailers and text messages to Republicans seems like a savvy means to bolster turnout. However, Democrats might be wondering how this newfound enthusiasm for absentee ballots has emerged from the ashes of a battleground previously marked by vehement opposition to such voting methods.
As the latest round of mailings works its way into the hands of Fairfax County voters, Braynard appears hopeful that this initiative will secure more Republican votes in the next election cycle. The initiative offers clear data collection methods and metrics to gauge success, providing Republicans with a practical approach to vote mobilization that was once vehemently criticized. All that’s left to see now is whether Braynard’s clever pivot is enough to convince conservatives to embrace the absentee ballot with open arms rather than cautious hesitance. The paradox of voter strategy continues to unfold in the most entertaining ways possible.
