Election 2024 – Can We Trust it?

In less than a year and a half America “elects” a new President, along with a third of the Senate and the entire House. At this point the leading contenders for the White House are Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

We know how the last election turned out. But did it really? Was it an election or a selection? An appropriate quote has been attributed to Joseph Stalin or his henchman Lavrentiy Beria, “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.” Were the votes counted honestly or accurately?

Many recall how Fox News called Arizona for Biden with only a few percent of the votes tabulated. And how several swing states immediately thereafter stopped counting votes on election evening with Trump leading, only to resume the next day with Biden now ahead.

This Twitter thread by Tom Elliott chronicles multiple episodes of election corruption and interference at the hands of the federal government in collusion with big tech and social media giants.

Can we trust our election results? What do the voters think?

Rasmussen Reports asked if cheating, “is likely to affect the outcome of the next presidential election.” Among likely US voters, 54% thought it would, including 30% who think it’s very likely.

Going further, 54% of voters, “believe it is likely that state and federal officials are ignoring evidence of widespread election fraud.” Congress has shown no interest in investigating election integrity. Courts at the local, federal, and even the U.S. Supreme Court mostly refuse to hear election cases citing “jurisdiction,” “timing” or “standing”.

If the system is broken, who will fix it? How can voters feel confident that their votes on or before election day are anything more than a charade, a pointless act in affecting a predetermined outcome?

Is this a partisan view? In the Rasmussen Reports survey, “43% of Republicans think it’s very likely last year’s midterm election outcomes were affected by cheating, only 23% of Democrats and 24% of unaffiliated voters share that opinion.”

It is notable that one in four Democrats believe our elections are rigged. Perhaps electoral fraud is not a “right wing conspiracy theory” as the media suggests.

Is this simply because a Democrat is in the White House? If Trump and Biden reversed roles, with Biden winning on election night only to have Trump declared winner a few days post-election, Democrats would be screaming, as they were even when Trump won solidly in 2016.

Donald Trump must be aware of this skepticism over election integrity. If behind the scenes he hasn’t taken measures, either directly or indirectly, rectifying election shenanigans, he can expect a similar outcome, regardless of his eventual opponent or current poll support.

Who is standing in Trump’s way to the GOP nomination and what do voters say about his primary opponents? Rasmussen Reports asked likely US voters. Chris Christie? Not likely. Nikki Haley? Little chance. Tim Scott? Ditto. Mike Pence? Likewise. Ron DeSantis? “GOP voters favor Trump over DeSantis nearly 2-1.”

At this early stage, Trump is the likely nominee, but much can change. Between a hostile, hyper-partisan media and an activist, weaponized Department of Justice and FBI, Trump could find himself in prison rather than in the White House.

But assuming Americans still have the right to choose their leader, Rasmussen Reports found that Trump leads Biden 45% to 39% among likely US voters. And this poll was after the Feds indicted Trump over alleged classified document possession in his Secret Service protected home, while giving Biden, who had no declassification authority, a partisan pass despite having classified materials in unsecured homes, offices, and garages in several states.

Most countries announce election results shortly after the polls close. Yet in America, it can take days or weeks before election results are official. Lottery winners are announced immediately as are the winners of audience voting television talent shows like American Idol.

Interestingly more votes are cast for American Idol than the US President, 178 million for the last season of Idol, and 155 million in the 2020 Presidential election. No delays, controversy, or chicanery alleged in the Idol election with results available immediately.

One of the cornerstones of our constitutional republic is the free and fair election of our representatives, at a local, state, and national level. Rather than pejoratively demeaning skeptics as “conspiracy theorists,” “deniers” or “kooks,” why are not government officials properly investigating election irregularities to either fix the problems or reassure most U.S. voters who believe cheating is the norm?

A Gallup poll last year found, “The majority of Americans lack trust in all three branches of the federal government.” It’s a sad state of affairs when most Americans don’t trust their government.

When our supposed democrat system falls apart and people lose faith and trust in that system, how do the States of America remain United?

Brian C. Joondeph, M.D., is a physician and writer.

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