The Republican Party is more in thrall than ever before to the lies that led to a deadly attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 meant to stop the peaceful transfer of power. The latest evidence: Republicans killed a bipartisan bill to create a commission to investigate the insurrection.

The bipartisan commission could have answered key questions about the attack, including what involvement and response former President Donald Trump and key lawmakers had. But most Republicans dont want Trump to be held accountable for his effort to subvert democracy by insisting the election was stolen. Theyre too busy helping him feed the myth.

The stolen election lie that inspired the Jan. 6 insurrection now inspires voter suppression legislation that could be used by partisan forces to prevent Democrats from winning in 2022 or 2024. Republicans arent just trying to fix elections to benefit them in the future. In states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire, theyre still trying to change the 2020 election results.

This is not just a top-down phenomenon driven by the ex-president from his redoubt in Mar-a-Lago. The stolen election myth is driving the majority of the partys grassroots as well.

The Republican Partys orientation around the tale of a stolen election comes as it finds itself in an increasingly precarious political position in national elections. Republicans have lost the presidential popular vote in four straight elections and in seven out of the last eight. The party no longer operates as a national majority.

But the stolen election myth provides a narrative for why the Republican Party can no longer win the popular vote. It also justifies the partys anti-majoritarian turn . It is the reason for Trumps continued power over the party. And it could lead to further violence as the former president or other figures continue to insist that their supporters cannot trust the nations democratic processes and must take dramatic action to overcome them.

Preparations for Election Subversion