If you want to know how the battle for the US midterm elections is being fought, you don't need to look at the higher-profile races such as those in Georgia or Pennsylvania — a small, local election in Tarrant County, Texas, will give you just as clear a picture.
The vote is for the position of county judge, a largely administrative role that happens to include some powers related to the conducting of elections.
And this is why the stakes are much higher than the title suggests. On the line are the fundamentals of any democratic system: faith in the electoral process and the peaceful transfer of power.
Tarrant County's Republican nominee Tim O’Hare is a hard-core supporter of former president Donald Trump, and, if elected, he has vowed to hire an “election integrity officer” who will be charged with sniffing out electoral fraud.
The paranoia around “election integrity” is a direct result of the hysteria over election denial. In the midterms, it is being used both as a tactic and a weapon across the country.
The polling site FiveThirtyEight counted at least 27 candidates running for office in Texas who are election deniers or doubters — and this is only among the 40 running for higher-level positions.
Nationwide, of the 552 Republicans running, 199 are in no doubt that the 2020 election was stolen; another 61 doubt its integrity.
FiveThirtyEight reported than about a quarter of the deniers/doubters have more than a 95 per cent chance of winning.
In Tarrant County, a quiet suburb of Dallas, the yard signs leave you in no doubt about local voter sentiment.
The fear and anger over the “stolen” 2020 election is something Mr O’Hare and others like him have tapped into.
On his campaign website, Mr O'Hare says: “Guarding the security of our ballot box and guaranteeing the legitimacy of our elections is fundamental to preserving a free society.
“The election integrity officer will also seek to find and uncover election fraud. Any election fraud discovered by the election integrity officer would be reported to the sheriff and the district attorney and prosecuted as the DA sees fit.”
The National reached out to his campaign for comment but did not receive a response.
There is a direct line upwards from a proclamation like Mr O'Hare's.
One of the country's most famous election deniers is Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who tried to mobilise the support of other states in his campaign to have President Joe Biden’s electoral victory reversed.
The National asked Mr Paxton's office for comment on election fraud but received no response.
Mr Paxton, who is now running for a third term, is under investigation by the FBI into abuse of office and has also been indicted in a securities fraud case.
“A key priority of the attorney general is to investigate and prosecute the increasing allegations of voter fraud to ensure election integrity in Texas,” the attorney general's official website says.
The website also lists the office's successful prosecutions. In the past 17 years, it says, the Texas attorney general has prosecuted 155 people for election fraud, with 386 active investigations.
Texas has 17.1 million registered voters. Another four million are eligible to vote. But even though fewer than 200 people out of a possible 20 million or so voters have been prosecuted, the idea of “widespread” fraud has become dogma among Republicans.
Local officials have learnt to mix denial in with deniability, a tactic that serves the purpose no matter what the outcome: if you lose, you cry fraud, further eroding faith in the process; if you win, you credit the measures you supposedly put in place.
The American system never legislated for actors such as Mr Trump, who tried to upend an election by sending fake electors to the Electoral College and directly asking officials to “find” him the votes he needed to win — and then fomenting an insurrection when all else failed.
But this election throws up the possibility of pliant officials being elected and primed for 2024. In places such as Tarrant County, votes could, conceivably, get thrown out.
What is apparent is that a serious attempt is being made to effectively repopulate the system so that only one side can win.
Even as the ground battle is being fought, prominent Republican candidates are upfront about their larger goals.
Tim Michels, running for governor of Wisconsin, summed it up earlier this week: if he wins, he said, the party “would never lose another election” in the state.
Mr Michel’s campaign tried to walk back the comment, but Republican candidates across the country, whether running for county judge or secretary of state, may well be whispering the same promise — or threat — to voters.
Donald Trump Ohio rally - in pictures
What%20is%20cystic%20fibrosis%3F
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECystic%20fibrosis%20is%20a%20genetic%20disorder%20that%20affects%20the%20lungs%2C%20pancreas%20and%20other%20organs.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIt%20causes%20the%20production%20of%20thick%2C%20sticky%20mucus%20that%20can%20clog%20the%20airways%20and%20lead%20to%20severe%20respiratory%20and%20digestive%20problems.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPatients%20with%20the%20condition%20are%20prone%20to%20lung%20infections%20and%20often%20suffer%20from%20chronic%20coughing%2C%20wheezing%20and%20shortness%20of%20breath.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ELife%20expectancy%20for%20sufferers%20of%20cystic%20fibrosis%20is%20now%20around%2050%20years.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Mother%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Niki%20Caro%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jennifer%20Lopez%2C%20Joseph%20Fiennes%2C%20Gael%20Garcia%20Bernal%2C%20Omari%20Hardwick%20and%20Lucy%20Paez%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
