By Nick Murray
History holds innumerable examples of violent revolutions and civil wars. With modern politics, the American people have taken our peaceful elections for granted. While violence dominated the ways of old, modern democracies such as the United States ensured success with peaceful elections and policies ensuring confidence in the result. Unfortunately, the people’s complacency puts the safety of our elections at risk.
An integral part of our democracy is the clean transfer of power from one president to the next. The peaceful transfer of power ensures confidence in our election system and the new president. In past elections, the president-elect has been given access to key information and worked together with the existing administration to ensure the president-elect feels well informed and prepared when entering the While House. Of course, many aspects make up a smooth transition. First and foremost, the public and their representatives must have confidence in the election results. Once the election is called, a well intentioned concession speech from the loser of the election brings the people together to support the president and country rather than be divided by party lines. The existing president should also cooperate with the staff of the president-elect in the transition. Ultimately, the United States has had many successful transitions of power throughout modern history and ensured confidence in the American political system.
However, President Donald Trump has taken advantage of the current polarizing divide between parties to attack the integrity of the election. President Trump has perpetuated conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud in an effort to delegitimize President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Trump’s campaign of conspiracies has included Democrats rigging the election, mail in ballot fraud, and the seven years deceased Venezualen President Hugo Chavez interfering in the Election. Despite such claims, Trump’s own Attorney General Bill Barr has publicly stated there was no widespread voter fraud. With experts finding no interference and the head of the federal election cybersecurity effort claiming the election was the most secure in history, Trump’s unfounded claims of a rigged election have been completely disproven. While previous administrations would have gracefully accepted defeat and maintained their careers, Trump has repeatedly humiliated himself in a sad effort to remain in power even firing the federal election cybersecurity chief for challenging his authority. Finally, the Trump administration filed lawsuits against numerous key swing states for recounts. Led by volunteer lawyers, Trump’s lawsuits have not withstood the scrutiny of the law with inconsistent stories and unqualified witnesses.
In the end, President Trump’s unfounded claims of a rigged election, supported by outrageous conspiracy theories, have only served to delay the inevitable and harm our country. Such claims pose a severe risk to our national security as an increasing number of Americans accept such conspiracies. Ultimately, while President Trump poses a severe threat to our democracy, we can also thank him for waking Americans from their complacent state and re engaging the populace in our national politics.