If you were concerned about electoral integrity or potential violence after a new president is named, last week’s news would not have put you at ease!
Left-wing outlets are already tracking MAGA-related violence. (Wired)
Right-wing outlets are reporting incidents of suspected voter fraud. (UnHerd)
Just a few headlines:
An ABC affiliate station has “accidentally” run a test of election night results during an F1 event, showing Democrat VP Harris winning in Pennsylvania. (Not the Bee)
Ballot boxes, one in Oregon and one in Washington, were set on fire using incendiary devices attached to the outside. Fire suppression systems inside the boxes helped in one case but failed in another, with the loss of hundreds of ballots. Authorities urged voters to track their vote online and cast another if they think it may have been burned. (WNG, AP)
Colorado’s Secretary of State posted passwords for Dominion voting machines around the state in a document which had been online for months. Secretary Jenna Griswold insists the voting process remains secure, since there are multiple steps involved in accessing voting machines. Griswold’s office has been accused of undermining voter confidence by encouraging non-citizens to vote and sending ballots to people who had already voted. (Not the Bee, WNG, Liz Harrington via X)
The Supreme Court of the US has rejected an appeal by Robert Kennedy Jr to remove his name from ballots in Wisconsin and Michigan. (The Federalist)
The SCOTUS has also ruled that Virginia governor, Glenn Youngkin may remove around 1600 non-citizens from voter rolls, putting a lawsuit against the action on hold for now. (ScotusBlog)
Elon Musk will be allowed to continue to give away cash to voters in swing states while a judge mulls whether the action represents election interference. (BBC)
If you’ve yet to vote, make sure to double-check your vote! (The Federalist)
It is likely that America’s elections have never been fully water-tight and most folks would likely concede that is the case. Who hasn’t heard the jokes about the dead voting in [insert state here]? But liberal assertions that only conspiracy theorists question election results are disingenuous. Considering the way recent controversies seem to redound to the benefit of one side of politics and not the other, that handwaving is unhelpful. Rather than telling doubters that they’re ridiculous, racist or fascist, backing some good faith measures to raise confidence in the electoral process would benefit everyone. Why wouldn’t it be of benefit to prove citizenship? Why wouldn’t it be of benefit to work to have a clear result quickly? Repeatedly telling people that there’s nothing wrong with the system while refusing to shore up integrity is just adding to the problem.
I’m thankful for the diligent men and women everywhere who do their best to keep a check on the machine, but here’s some great advice from a loudmouthed comedian when you feel flummoxed:
“What I always do on Election Day is I clean my house. I think, “no matter who wins, is my life in order, so that I can take responsibility for what happens?” Because ultimately one of them's going to win and you're going to feel like your life is over or your life is just beginning and that's evidence that you probably haven't actually started your life, in getting things organized. So get your stuff together and start a good life! What are you doing that you think Kamala Harris or Trump is going to save?”
And…
