From a Google Image Search - Brookings Institute
The credibility of America's 2024 election has been compromised far beyond the trust we once had that our elections were free and fair. Ever since the audacious behavior of the Tea Party members in Congress, the drama in Washington has provided cover for what Republicans were up to. It was shocking when the preclearance section of the Voting Rights Act (Section 4) was overturned by the Supreme Court in Shelby County v Holder in 2013. What was even more shocking was the immediate response of states, once required to get preclearance for changes in elections, to pass laws that looked as if they were intended to disenfranchise the very same voters the Voting Rights Act had been designed to protect from racism and Jim Crow activities like poll taxes and voter tests. Reports reached the public about polling places moved to venues that could not be reached by public transportation, cuts to the number of polling places available, extreme gerrymandering that allowed Republicans to target white voters in the lead-up to elections, and more.
In 2010 the Citizens United decision allowed super PACs to run ads that, due to the separation of these groups from the party, could spend as much money as they wished without having to worry about breaking campaign donation limits. Democrats have adopted policies that force them to use grassroots funding to avoid being stained with the same big donor brush as Republicans. As a result, ads for Republicans and against Democrats usually have slicker production values and run more often on media.
There were constant unsubstantiated claims that Dems were trying to steal elections (perhaps because there are more Democrats than Republicans). We have seen that repeating shocking claims is a powerful tool of propaganda and that the cult nature of Trump's appeal made the propaganda even more powerful. 'Accuse your opponent of what you are doing' has also been a successful tactic by Republicans. Meanwhile, Republicans were pursuing one creative ruse after another to make it harder for Dems to vote. Fewer polling places meant longer lines. Rules were passed that did not allow anyone to pass out food or water to voters. These strategies backfired in the 2020 election and voters mailed in votes and turned out in large numbers.
Along came The Big Lie which offered up the bonkers Trump crew making ridiculous claims that Democratic poll workers cheated, that they altered documents, stole ballots, and passed drugs. When that didn't fly wild accusations that the voting systems from Dominion and others were rigged by Hugo Chavez who is dead were circulated. In 2022 poll workers were intimidated, their addresses published on social media, and their families threatened. "Guards" with guns were stationed outside polling places until they were forced to stand down. The Big Lie has continued all through the term of Joe Biden and has now morphed once again, this time into claims that certain states (like Pennsylvania) passed changes to election laws before the 2020 election which were unconstitutional.
Republican machinations have served to make elections that we trusted for decades seem questionable. Next, it appears that the Electoral College might be susceptible to manipulation that will allow a minority party to win the presidency despite a popular vote that says otherwise. Whether a state gives all the EC votes to the winner of the popular vote or assigns EC votes proportionally could be the magic bullet the Republicans have been looking for.
At this moment Trump, who holds no office in Washington, and Michael Johnson are planning to hold a joint news conference on Election Integrity. Since Democrats are not the ones who have been focused on fixing elections that were not broken, we understand that Trump's fake concern about the "integrity" of American elections is just a way to set up a narrative that the 2024 election cannot be expected to produce reliable results and that regardless of the result Trump would be the winner if the election were not rigged (and he would have won by even more if he wins). This is all part of a Republican plot to keep a minority party in power. Trump is their ace in the hole and will give them the victory in this regard even if he will never give up the office of president once he has it back. The entire Republican and Trump diatribe about our elections has been a bogus ploy since 2009. What will Democrats think if Trump wins? What will Republicans do if Trump doesn't win? Our elections were never this fraught. What can be done to bring back trust in American elections?