Why I Think the Presidential Election was Free and Fair

I want to start writing about politics again. Certainly, I do not consider myself an expert on political matters. But I see a deep and yawning need for respectful dialogue across the political divide. So much political discourse these days is about score-keeping, or rallying the troops, speaking within an existing political circle to bolster anger and outrage at the other side.

I cannot pretend that I am either non-partisan or unbiased. I am a strong progressive and I have been that way as long as I can remember.

However, I genuinely want to understand people with alternative points of view better. I genuinely believe that I do not know all of the relevant information and I am open to having my point of view change. I genuinely believe that even if we disagree passionately, we can find other areas of agreement for our mutual benefit and protection. I believe that people can be respectful and honest to each other even when they disagree.

What I want to address in this essay are the reasons why I think the 2020 presidential election was free and fair and absent large-scale fraud. I welcome being introduced to factual information that may change my mind, though I must admit even what constitutes factual or verifiable information is very much up for debate at this point in time. 

Reason #1: Court Rulings against President Trump's petitions and appeals

Courts are the best arbiters we have concerning disputes about truth regarding legal matters, including elections. Rumors and baseless allegations do not hold up in court, where evidence must be provided to back up all claims. Many of the court cases held concerning President Trump's appeals were held by Trump-appointed judges. Nevertheless, Trump's efforts to contest the elections in court were almost universally rebuffed. In many cases, his filings and appeals were roundly criticized by judges as lacking in merit. If there were substantial evidence of voter fraud or corruption in the election process, Trump's legal appeals would have gotten further and the legitimate evidence would have been aired in court. Because none of this evidence was aired in court, my conclusion is that these claims were mostly based on rumor, speculation, or wishful thinking.

Reason #2: Conservatives Rebuffing Trump's Election Claims

The primary argument Trumps' supporters have laid out for election fraud is that Democrats opposed to him are cheating. But time and again, Republicans and Trump supporters have declared the elections legitimate and largely lacking in fraud. Most notably this list includes Georgia Secretary of State Raffensberger, who is no friend of Democrats, yet has declared the Georgia election to be legitimate after multiple audits and recounts. The list also includes former attorney general Bill Barr, who many progressives like me see as hopelessly under Trump's thumb. The list also includes Republicans like Mitt Romney who simply say that the president has been lying about the election outcome.

Reason #3: Trump's Extreme Prejudice about the Election

Trump believed there would be election fraud even before the voting started. He publicly proclaimed he would not accept election results unless he won. Not only is this unprecedented in American history, it is basically the truth - Trump decided before the election, before any counting was conducted, and before any evidence was found, that we would vigorously object to any election he lost. So it is not surprising that he "found" evidence to back up what he desperately wanted to believe, that he could not possibly lose the election. Trump also repeatedly attacked mail-in voting, seemingly to set the ground for attacking the election before it even started.

And this sets the context for the most basic fact of all. No person who is in an election should be trusted with being a judge of their own election. That's just common sense. The person who has the least credibility about the Trump vs. Biden election is Trump. The person with the second least credibility is Biden. We have to listen to election officials and judges who do not have "skin in the game" directly for some measure of objectivity about the election outcome. Given Trump's terrible track record with telling the truth, why would he have any credibility with regard to his own election results, when he is so invested in the outcome?

So to summarize, from my perspective, this was the fairest and most thoroughly monitored election in our history. This is not to say there are not areas for improvement, and that there were not small instances of inaccuracies. But all election counts were verified and certified at the state level by appropriate election officials. The election results were tested and verified in the courts. Investigations by states, various federal agencies, the justice department, and international monitors did not find widespread fraud.

It seems to me that most of the remaining claims of fraud have to do with anecdotal evidence, rumor, and frankly propaganda. Trump wanted to create doubt and controversy because he could not accept losing. Unfortunately, his false claims have undermined trust in our democratic elections, in a way that may take years to resolve.

 It really is essential for all Republicans and conservatives who believe this election was legitimate to say so publicly, and to renounce Trump's claims that the election was rigged. Without trust in our election process, our democracy will continue to spiral downward towards chaos and violence. These are not allegations to make for political advantage; they should only be made with utmost earnestness and robust proof.