Tomorrow is election day here in the US. I am deeply concerned. Sure, I care about the issues and worry that electing people from the other party will hurt America. That’s not my big problem. Democracy itself is at stake. A lot of people think the last presidential election was “rigged.” These election deniers wanted the results of the 2020 election nullified. The former president encouraged people to revolt against the “invalid” results. To this day, he still rages that he was cheated.
My issue isn’t whether or not the 2020 election was unfair. Nothing I can say will convince deniers. If over 60 lost lawsuits and hundreds of ballot recounts don’t convince them, I won’t either. But that’s not my point. I want these people to think about something much more important: the American way of life.
The cornerstone of American democracy is the peaceful transition of power and freedom of the ballot box. Every American president except one understood this. 2020 wasn’t the first election that one candidate or another felt was stolen. These people recognized that preserving democracy was far more important than becoming president.
Honest counting of the votes and surrendering power to the winner of an election is what makes us free. Tomorrow, when millions of Americans cast their votes, they have the chance to either preserve or destroy our way of life. I know that sounds ominous. It is.
In most states, the Secretary of State is charged with managing elections within the state. The Federal government isn’t involved. If an election denier is elected to that important position, he or she will have the power to nullify the will of the people of that state. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem. But in 2024, the man who wants to become permanent president is running again. If his election-denier believers control the 28 states in which they are running, he will win.
If his believers also elect a majority of the senate and house, he can have them pass a no-term limit law that will let him become the permanent president of our land. There’s no question that he and his inner circle are planning for this. Impossible, you think? A constitutional amendment would be required. That takes 3/4 of the states to ratify. By 2026, that means he will need 38 states to ratify. That won’t be very difficult in the current climate of hate and division.
The party of this man is focusing on the bad economy as the reason to elect their people. These good people are angry at the present government for its liberal policies. Many believe the 2020 election was stolen from them. They are wrong. It wasn’t.
One final thought: Vladimir Putin has held a small majority of support among the Russian people. Until very recently, he would have won an election if he allowed his people the freedom to vote. Bad people can convince good people to support them. Please don’t let them steal our democracy.
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