The impact on people who are victims of disinformation campaigns and scams is often catastrophic. Many have lost their entire lives or, in the worst case, their lives.

The very survival of our 245-year-old democracy depends on how we deal with one of the most insidious disinformation campaigns ever against our country. The disinformation that threatens our democracy is the unsubstantiated allegation of widespread electoral fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

The people who are the targets of this misinformation are not demanding that the people who spread this fraudulent allegation provide proof that it is true. If something is not true, it is a lie. There is no gray area here.

The problem is not with believing in a lie, it is the decisions and actions that people take based on that lie that threaten the survival of our democracy.

Lawmakers are drafting and passing laws based on a spreading lie about the 2020 presidential election. These laws will make voting more difficult for some citizens than others and will empower lawmakers supporters have the right to overrule the election results if they do not like the result.

Our democracy is built on the pillars of the belief that we organize free and fair elections and the rule of law. If we destroy these pillars on the basis of disinformation, then we will no longer have democracy. It will be dead.