We don’t have to wait until November 3. The President has told the American people they cannot rely on the results of the election as fair or honest. The results, he says, “may never be accurately determined.” So much for the election. Where does that leave us?
First, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. He’s not waiting for the news cycle to throw up the normal electoral glitches and mistakes, which can then be inflated and distorted to fit his narrative. He’s actually working every day to ensure that the election is mired in conflict, suspicion, intimidation, violence, endless litigation, and overall chaos. It will be a mess.
The naïve might ask, why undermine the election now, when it’s still possible (very possible, actually) that he could win. That’s easy. In Trump world, you can turn on a dime, with no accountability for what came before. Before the midterms, American was under attack by massive caravans of violent mobs. The risk was so great that the military was mobilized to the southern border to repel the attack. The day after the election, did you hear another word about caravans? No. They disappeared as if they had never existed in the first place. That’s what happens with election fraud if Trump wins. Turns out it wasn’t so bad, and his overcoming it just adds to the luster of his glorious victory.
Thanks to Trump, the sole remaining prop to our democracy – public faith in the election system - is gone. Somewhere between 34-45% of Americans will take him at this word: the election cannot be fair. Scan the global press: America’s many friends around the world are devastated. Its enemies are jubilant.
Can anything be done? The most critical law enforcement and other governmental institutions have been gutted or politicized, so they won’t help us. Republicans in Congress (and most Republican governors) have forfeited any expectation that they will do the right thing. Pew surveys show American’s trust in their public institutions at historic lows.
So it’s up to us, both as individuals and acting through the civil society institutions in which we participate. Look at the wave of commitment to anti-racism this summer – it’s on the home page of almost every organization. We need the same kind of commitment to this election. American elections work. Trust the vote. The messages are simple and they must come from local officials, celebrities, influencers, big tech, college presidents, trade associations, charities, doctors, unions, and artists. You must demand it, and it has to happen now.
Are you scared and angry? If not, all is lost. Take a look at a Trump rally video; look at the anger, at the righteous certainty. These people are motivated. An imbalance of passion between extremists and moderates is natural. So you need to become an extremist – not on any of the ideological or policy issues that divide the parties, but an extremist in defense of the one last thing we might possibly be able to agree on: American elections work. We need to trust the vote. After all, what’s the alternative? Without trust in elections, there is only the chaos in which demagogues flourish, and prosperity, security, and freedom collapse.