To the Editor:

I have been a political junkie since the Kennedy-Nixon race, but this letter is not about partisan politics, it is about the future of our democracy. This election is far from politics as usual. It is about whether we continue to have the form of government our forefathers created.

There is a candidate running for President of the United States who has attacked, at one time or another, every branch of our government. He has questioned the judicial system by claiming the ancestry of a judge disqualifies him. He has claimed that presidency is part of a global international conspiracy. He is at war with a very Republican Congress because many will not support him. 

In addition, many of the “policies” he proposes are clearly unconstitutional, such as a religious test for immigrants, the use of torture, mass surveillance and limitations on a free press.

 Some may consider all of the above as “politics as usual.” But no candidate since the Civil War has questioned our ability to conduct free and fair elections. And no American presidential candidate has ever threatened to throw his opponent in jail.  

Donald Trump has made it very clear that “the election is rigged against me.” He is not talking just about media bias, he is saying there is grand conspiracy to miscount the votes. Through the use of fear and repetition, millions of his followers are now convinced that their votes will be stolen. There is no telling what he or his followers will do if he is defeated. Many have suggested a “Second Amendment solution.” He seems willing to attack the very fabric of our democracy for his own  personal benefit.

A belief in free and fair elections, and the peaceful and orderly transfer of power, are cornerstones of our democracy. We believe in the will of the majority and the protection of the rights of the minority. Without trust in the electoral process, the system fails. History tells us what usually comes next is some form of dictatorship.

Louis Vitale

Franklin