The Last Election
Did you vote today? I did. Technically I voted a few weeks ago. I vote by mail because it’s much easier and more convenient. Everyone should vote by mail! It’s great! I almost didn’t this year though. I debated whether or not I should go in person. Why? Because this might be the last democratic election we have in America.
It seems dramatic, I know. Consider the facts. After the election in 2020, misinformation and sour grapes led to millions of people questioning its legitimacy. You do remember what happened on January 6th, yes? Currently, 60-70% of Republicans believe the 2020 election was stolen. What’s more, a huge majority of the GOP candidates for up for election parrot and believe this lie as well. What do you think is going to happen when these people get power? Do you think they are going to make things better?
Already, the GOP has started delegitimizing this election. They know that more Democrats vote via mail or early so by creating a false sense of corruption with those segments of votes, they can trick their supporters into thinking the election was stolen. Here’s how it goes.
First, claim that only votes cast on election day are valid. This, of course, disregards thousands of votes of military members overseas. It also taints the millions of mail-in ballots that BY LAW, cannot be counted until election day. Obviously, counting millions of votes takes time so it’s unlikely it all gets counted in one day. Second, spread bullshit like this:
Again, knowing that REPUBLICANS have passed laws requiring a huge segment of votes to be delayed, they can make it seem like the GOP has a big lead that suddenly disappears. It has the appearance of fraud but it’s totally legit. That doesn’t stop people from believing it.
Voila! Now half the population doesn’t have faith in our system. EXCEPT. One thing I noticed from 2020 was that there was never a doubt cast upon the REPUBLICAN who won. I mean, if the election was stolen and corrupt, how can we accept SOME of the results and not toss out the whole thing? Why… it’s almost like they only care about their side winning and it’s not really about election integrity at all.
That brings us to the present. In a number of races around the country, mostly at the state and county level, there are people who could get into power that have all but promised to reject any vote that comes in for their party of opposition. This includes members of elections boards, secretaries of state, governors, and state senators/reps. It’s an incredibly dangerous situation for democracy. If you believe that Democrats are so evil and corrupt and unpopular that they could never actually win an election, then why would you ever certify an election that they win?
This was always the plan. Consider this quote from Stalin: The people who cast the votes don't decide an election, the people who count the votes do. Republicans know that their policies are unpopular so by making it harder to vote, casting doubt on the elections themselves, and then outright changing the results of those elections, they can ensure they stay in power virtually forever. Don’t think it can happen? It has all over the world. Many democracies have crumbled because of less. There was never a time in Germany when the Nazis were the most popular party or had the majority of Germans’ support. Yet they rose to power through mostly legal means and once they had it they legitimized their coup. The same thing could happen here.
Obviously, I hope it doesn’t. But I have to say that I think it’s already too late. This election largely belongs to the Millennials and Gen Z. If they show up and vote blue we might be OK for another cycle. But even if we survive this volley we have an even bigger challenge in 2024 to contend with. Democracy isn’t easy. And even though our country REALLY isn’t a proper democracy, it beats having a king.
I’d like to keep it that way.