Eric Swalwell Wants to ‘Max Out Democracy’ With New Method of Voting, Gets Instantly Roasted

Eric Swalwell sometimes flies under the radar among members of Congress who operate daily with a double-digit IQ. Often, it's members of the so-called Squad who earn that accolade. They get the spotlight, and rightly so.

But the congressman proves his mettle time and time again, spitting out ideas indicating he's clearly two beers short of a six-pack.

Swalwell, the Democrat Representative who has served California's 14th congressional district, recently announced he was jumping into the Golden State's gubernatorial race. He announced his laughable campaign with the less humorous Jimmy Kimmel because, of course.

Things got infinitely funnier when, speaking with CNN over the weekend, Swalwell offered one of his initial brilliant ideas for the 2026 election. He wants Californians to have the option to vote by phone.

We're not kidding.

“I want us to be able to vote by phone. I think every Californian— vote by phone, yeah, if we can do our taxes, do our… healthcare appointments… essentially do your banking online, you should be able to vote by phone," he said.

“Make it safe, make it secure. But it’s actually already happening all over the United States. I want us to be a blue state that doesn’t do just a little bit better than, like, Georgia or Alabama, when it comes to like, voting access," Swalwell explained. "I want us to max out democracy.”

🚨 SWALWELL: “I want us to be able to vote by phone … I want us to max out democracy.” pic.twitter.com/74cVtwYDi8
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) November 22, 2025

Eric Swalwell Gets Dragged Into Oblivion After Posting Videos of Himself Bench Pressing 135

The phrase "max out democracy" absolutely had to have been workshopped by an intern fresh out of high school. You know, high school, where Swalwell no doubt was stuffed in his locker nearly every day. I kid, I kid.

Swalwell got absolutely raked over the coals for the idea.

"Vote by phone so every 13-year-old with mom’s iPhone can pick the governor. Eric Swalwell just invented election fraud 2.0," one X user wrote. "Genius level: room temperature IQ."

It's not even that warm.

"This is the worst voting idea I've EVER heard. That would be an abject disaster," Eric Daugherty, Chief Content Officer for Florida's Voice, added.

"Democrats always want more cheating in our elections," conservative commentator Paul Szypula responded to the idea.

Fact check: True.

WHAT?!

Democrat Rep. Eric Swalwell, who announced his candidacy for governor of California:

“I want us to be able to vote by phone … I want us to max out democracy.”

How stupid is this? pic.twitter.com/5XVF17h9M3
— Conservative Brief (@ConservBrief) November 22, 2025

Currently, there are roughly zero U.S. states that allow universal voting by phone (e.g., via mobile app, voice call, or SMS) in federal, state, or local elections, primarily due to significant security, privacy, and verification concerns. Concerns that would be obvious to anybody with more than three functioning brain cells.

Some states have tested mobile or online voting pilots for specific populations, primarily for military and overseas citizens or voters with disabilities. Even then, it's not widespread and often requires biometric verification or is restricted to specific jurisdictions.

Voting by phone fails most critically on authentication, secrecy, and verifiability. Phone numbers are easily spoofed, hijacked via SIM-swapping, or bought in bulk, making it impossible to prove that the person voting is the actual registered voter. The fraud alarms should be going off everywhere. But what is an alarm to you and me seems like a golden opportunity for Swalwell.

Similar to efforts to allow voting without government-issued identification, Democrats are always looking to expand who has access to the ballot box. Not to "max out democracy" as Swalwell suggests, but rather to allow as many unverified people as possible access to elections to muddy the waters.

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!