In recent years, there have been claims that various US election were “stolen.” The claims are not limited to either the Democrats or the Republicans. As I mentioned here, concerning former President Trump’s claims in 2020, actual election fraud that makes a difference is pretty rare. That doesn’t mean that it hasn’t or won’t happen, but claims of election fraud or voter suppression are usually nonsense.
So, what’s happened in the last two years in this area that we should think about as we prepare to vote next week?
- The claims of widespread fraud in 2020 went nowhere. Trump’s claims of fraud that caused him to lose the election were either abandoned or found to be unsupported by competent evidence. Even the recount in Maricopa County, Arizona, a friendly jurisdiction for Trump, found that he lost. And a follow up investigation didn’t find the election was stolen. Same story all across the country.
- Some state legislatures did tighten up election procedures and practices, as I urged them to, in order to bolster confidence that results are fair. Very Blue states like California in effect doubled down on measures they instituted in recent years to boost Democrat voter turnout – and proclaimed those measures reduced the likelihood of voter fraud. That seems dubious, but election monitoring by both parties may be up this cycle, so we can expect to hear about it if something is amiss. In very Red states, and even some not-so-Red states, legislatures have changed procedures to eliminate the potential for fraud and for the “gaming” of election processes. Maybe the most publicized case was Georgia. When Georgia’s legislature updated its election laws, woke corporations like Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines publicly condemned them, as though these businesses were suddenly experts on election laws in the fifty states. Major League Baseball moved the All Star game to Colorado in protest. But, in elections since then, voting doesn’t seem to have been suppressed, but maybe even enhanced. Early voting in this election looks very strong; I’m not expecting an apology from Coke, Delta or MLB, but maybe they learned something. The left predictably calls the new laws in Georgia and some other states “election interference” laws, but most changes seem designed to promote accountability and clarity. A somewhat more nuanced opinion concludes that the actual changes were less than the hype from the media – the changes in 19 states that revised election laws were broadly in line with other states.
- Big Tech companies will likely push Democrat stories and the Democrat agenda, while marginalizing Republican candidates and their messages. There’s no serious dispute about the political leanings of the leadership and personnel of the big tech companies – the policies that they institute will have the effect of supporting Democrats. The tech companies claim their algorithms are neutral but neither the “automated” or human decisions and policies, nor the results as implemented, are even handed.
Looking back on the big picture from the 2020 election, the most unsettling item was the action – probably legal – by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife to tilt election results in a number of states. What they did was largely undisputed. Zuckerbergs’ entities gave close to $400 million and other resources to certain election officials in Democratic areas to “help” them with the election. And, indeed, it appears that they may have increased Democrat voter turnout in some very close races. Seemingly without any irony at all, NPR says Zuckerbergs’ money “saved” the election. Republicans appear to have simply been outsmarted and outmaneuvered by this process, but at least eight states have now outlawed outside “help” for election officials.
We shouldn’t expect that voter fraud or voter suppression will play any significant part in next week’s elections. It could happen, but with all the attention given to the topic two years ago, and poll-watchers and other monitors alert for any slip-ups or shenanigans, I’m expecting a reasonably fair and free election. Be sure to vote!
What Are We To Make of This? 