Awful Truth#7: Elections require absolute integrity if democracy is to survive.
“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”
H.L. Mencken
This seems like such an obvious truth. Painfully so. But it’s forgotten amidst the partisan tempests and general asshattery that plagues our society. It boils down to simple fairness. Winning fair and square and being at least somewhat magnanimous in victory or gracious in defeat. The victor recognizing that he is now in a position of leadership on behalf of all his constituents, including those who didn’t vote for him. We and our elected leaders must embrace an understanding of such concepts and apply these to our elections.
Yes, we voters show a remarkable propensity to elect imbeciles and those who act against our best interests. When amplified by the Internet, our pre- and post-election emotions may overtly run amok or internally seethe and fester. This is the fault not of the democratic system but of ourselves who want to be told what we want to hear, not what we must hear. Our lack of meaningful political engagement and refusal to educate ourselves on basic concepts (e.g., economics) plays a huge role, as well. We’ve deliberately dumbed and numbed ourselves, a condition which the Internet is only too happy to oblige.
It’s okay to be mad about an election result, believe your neighbors morons and yourself a sage. Nevertheless, as good citizens, we must insist elections are conducted with absolute integrity. All sides must be left confident about an election result, regardless of the outcome or how they feel about it. This isn’t rocket science, which is a good thing because rocket scientists aren’t themselves above acting the fool. This is simply good governance.
Our ability as adult citizens to vote is a precious right that must be well-protected and not taken for granted. For that reason, election officials are in essence a holy priesthood assigned a sacred duty that requires absolute honesty and ironclad impartiality. The must have the fortitude to resist both outside pressures and those within their own hearts. These officials must uphold certain tenets. Only those qualified to vote are allowed to vote. Ballots kept secure and accurately tallied. The counting process subject to outside observers if so requested. Voter ID laws and the periodic purging voter rolls of inactive voters are reasonable steps to ensure election integrity. Allowing illegal immigrants or other noncitizens to vote contravenes election integrity; in fact, it makes a mockery of the process. These criteria are reasonable and indispensable.
Smug self-righteousness is a threat to viable elections. If you believe a candidate is bad enough, or an issue important enough, that you’re willing to cheat to win because you convince yourself it’s the “right” thing to do, you are a fascist destroyer of democracy, plain and simple. This is the mindset of the gerrymanderers. This is the mindset of those who undermine immigration laws and want suffrage for noncitizens. This is the mindset of those who infantilize our Black citizens as justification against voter ID laws.
A poor leader elected in a fair election is a far better outcome than a great leader put in office due to chicanery. The former maintains democracy; yes, with all its inherent flaws. The latter is the path to totalitarianism, since you’ve then taken the essential step towards absolute corruption. Every dictatorship convinces itself that it is infallibly right and its implementation and continuance by any means are absolutely necessary for the very survival of its people. Never accept the siren song of this nefarious logic.
Collectively, regardless of our political party or position on a particular issue, we must insist on fair elections. Then we must respect the results, regardless of the outcome. This is my warning to you. Heed it. Otherwise, our democracy is doomed.
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