Election deniers threaten democracy
To the Editor:
The office of secretary of state (not usually considered a high-profile post) this year may well represent the most critical vote cast in all 50 states in November. Secretaries of state perform the tedious role of election administration: training poll workers, managing each states voter registration database, authenticating the accuracy of voting machines and, perhaps most important, certifying election results.
It cannot be over-stated that this position requires a person in whom we have the utmost confidence and trust. As expressed by Lawrence Norden, senior director of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, “If you can’t have trusted, neutral people running our elections, then you don’t really have free and fair elections, then we’re not a functioning democracy anymore.”
Across America, election deniers, ardent promoters of Donald Trump’s baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen through rampant voter fraud, are on the ballot for secretary of state, other key positions and state legislatures.
If any of these candidates win they will possess a plethora of powers to subvert future elections simply because they don’t like the result. These rogue election officials could attempt to prematurely stop the counting of ballots, turn the outcome over to a partisan state legislature, or simply refuse to certify the result (exactly what former President Trump hoped former Vice President Mike Pence would do).
In his speech September 1 in front of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, President Biden stated, “equality and democracy are under assault” (referencing to those who) “refuse to accept the results of a free election,” adding, “in state after state, they’re working to give power to decide elections to partisans, empowering election deniers to undermine democracy itself.”
I truly believe the threat to democracy is the single most important issue facing America today. Even though state and federal investigations found no evidence of widespread voter fraud and even though Trump’s own Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department and FBI vouched for the election’s integrity, people believed the lie so strongly they stormed the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a desperate attempt to stop the election’s certification, breaking a nearly 250-year tradition of peacefully transferring power.
When Benjamin Franklin left Independence Hall after the second drafting of the Constitution, he was confronted by a woman who asked him, “what manner of government have you bequeathed us, sir?” To which Franklin answered, “a Republic, madam, if you can keep it.”
Rest assured, democracy and our future are on the ballot this November. A recent Quinnipiac Poll found that: “Americans (67% to 29%) think the nation’s democracy is in danger of collapse.” We have cause to be concerned that a large number of Americans support Donald Trump, men and women who have put loyalty to one man above honor and above duty to truth, country and the Constitution.
Realistically, what can any conscientious voter with a sense of right and wrong do in a political environment seemingly leveraged against them by bought-and-paid-for politicians who very often act in a desultory manner giving rise to the commonly held perception they are elected to be served rather than to serve? First, voting a strict party line is probably counter-productive. It allows politicians to campaign on sound bites and worn-out platitudes rather than being pinned down to what they actually believe and forced to declare their intentions. Voters have a right to know for whom they’re voting and, conversely, voters have a responsibility to do the legwork, to ask questions, to research, to satisfy themselves that a candidate merits their support and their vote.
Many voters don’t take their responsibility seriously enough. That’s how we ran into trouble in 2016. Joe Biden called Trump’s political philosophy, “semi-fascism.” I believe Biden to be correct. Trump has been, is, and will continue to be, a grave threat to democracy and our nation.
David L. Snell
Franklin
Leave a comment
9 comments
-
Is there any such thing as fair and balanced journalism anymore I realize this is an opinion piece but come on. I did not hear a peep out of any of you people when there was total denial of Donald Trump's presidency over and over and over again for 4 years even before he was in office but no one said a thing you're bias is absolutely disgusting none of you should have jobs absolutely ridiculous . And what in your opinion that makes Donald Trump semi-fascist do you understand what fascism is fascism is American Express and other credit cards keeping a log of people's gun purchases inclusion with the federal government that's fascism you idiot but yet not a people about that the fascists are the Democrats the same ones that started the KKK kept blacks from voting and tried to suppress their votes even when they got rights so give me a break with your partisan crap. I don't care what your crappy opinion is but it would be nice if you would show some unbiased reporting but I guess that's too much to ask learn to code man go somewhere else
Tuesday, 11/08/2022
-
Election deniers somehow believe that hundreds of people showing up to Trump rallies proves they had more voters. The laughable showing at his inauguration is all but forgotten. The “mountain” of so-called evidence was not evidence but wishful thinking and questionable anecdotes. As far as Dominion machines’ problems, let’s see the defendants show some real evidence as their defense in their libel trials.
Wednesday, 11/02/2022
-
Oh please!!! There are no "election deniers." There, however, was a mountain of evidence, that keep growing, showing there was massive vote fraud in the 2020 election. It has been corrupt courts, other government officials, and the left, that has short stopped any reasonable investigation, and that includes destruction of evidence. Saying that is not "election denial." It is simply a statement that there was a clean election. It is the author, and his ilk, that have done so much to destroy the constitutional republic in which we all live.
The US is a constitutional Republic, not a "democracy."Tuesday, 10/25/2022
-
You have to admit it is hard to believe we have so many stupid people who would vote for Joe Biden.
Saturday, 10/22/2022
-
I find it very revealing Mr. Snell quotes Ben Franklin's famous "...A REPUBLIC, madam, if you can keep it" (his only use of the word) yet describes "a threat to DEMOCRACY" a total of EIGHT times. We do NOT have a DEMOCRACY Sir. Additionally, I fervently agree the Office of Secretary of State "...requires a person in whom we have the utmost confidence and trust." Your implication is that Liberal Democrats are the only ones who could possibly meet this standard. Folks that I talk to about the issue simply want our elected officials to follow the laws that are on the books...something that was not done in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Trump’s (OWN) Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department and FBI? You gotta be kidding?Thursday, 10/20/2022
-
Did you even consider this investigation into the history of Dominion machines:
Dominion (voting machine provider) serves 40% of the US market. It is in 30 states - - The state of Texas rejected the machines.
- Admiral Peter Neffenger is on Biden's transition team.
- Neffenger was the President of the board of Smartmatic
- Smartmatic (another voting machine supplier) entered into an agreement with Dominion in 2009
- Smartmatic counted votes in Venezuela
- Smartmatic is connected to Philippine voter fraud
- Smartmatic is run by Lord Mark Malloch Brown who works for George Soros (-he and Brown are life-long friends)
- Brown chairs the Boards of a number of non-profit boards including the Open Society Foundation,
- Brown chairs the Centre for Global Development.
- Open society of course is owned by George Soros
- Smartmatic partnered with DLA Piper Global
- Douglas C. Emhoff works at DLA Piper Global
- Douglass C. Emhoff is Kamala Harris's husband
- Guess who owns Dominion? - -Blum Capital Partners, L.P.
- Guess who is on the board for the company? -- Richard C.Blum.
- Richard C. Blum is Dianne Feinstein's husband.
- Nancy Pelosi's husband is also a major investor
- An aide to Nancy Pelosi, Nadeam Elshami, was hired by Dominion Voting Systems
And it goes on & ON!!
- Dominion Voting Systems is listed on the Clinton Foundation website.
- Dominion Voting is listed as a $25,000 -$50,000 donor to the Clinton Foundation in 2014 by The Washington Post
- Georgia Governor Kemp used Dominion Voting after Texas and Florida rejected them
- Dominion has a lobbyist named Jared Thomas
- Jared Thomas was Governor Brian Kemp’s chief of staff and press secretary from 2012 to 2015
- You must remember the Feinstein-Kavanaugh-Soros connections to understand this next information
- Debra Katz (Christine Ford's lawyer) worked for George-Soros at the Open Society Foundation.
- Debra Katz (Christine Ford's lawyer) also worked at Project on Government Oversight (POGO).
- POGO is funded by Soros’s Open Society Foundation.
- POGO is the co-signer of the letter Diane Feinstein presented against Kavanaugh's nomination.
- Kamala Harris did not prosecute OneWest Bank for their fraud when she had the authority- Soros owned OneWest Bank.
- Now you know why a woman who placed 7th in her Statewhen running for President is now VP.Wednesday, 10/19/2022
-
No Norman, the best thing is not to elect cheating and corrupt Democrats to public office.
Wednesday, 10/19/2022
-
Good article, but misses the key point on what to do about the problem.
The only way to deal with the election deniers is not to elect them to public office.
That means voting for the opponent even if you may not agree with that person on many issues.Wednesday, 10/19/2022
-
Joe Biden, your hero David L. Snell, is suffering from dementia. Why does this paper keep printing your ridiculous opinions like almost every week? I can only suspect money is changing hands. I would not surprise me in the least.
Wednesday, 10/19/2022
