The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Amy Fried is chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Maine. Her views are her own and do not represent those of any group with which she is affiliated.
Americans broke modern election turnout records to choose a president. Based on certified electoral votes, Joe Biden won the election and Donald Trump became the 11th incumbent to lose reelection.
For the good of the country, a peaceful transition of power is part of the sitting president’s responsibility. No one did this better than George H.W. Bush. In the Oval Office, Bush left a gracious note, telling Bill Clinton, “Your success now is our country’s success. I am rooting hard for you.”
But from Trump there is no grace, no warm words. Trump continues to refuse to accept the people’s choice.
What Trump is doing was not only predictable but predicted. As I wrote with political scientist Douglas Harris several months ago, Trump has a long history of claiming fraud and of suggesting he wouldn’t accept a loss. He did it during the 2016 primary and general election campaigns and, after winning the Electoral College, falsely claimed he won the popular vote, “if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.”
In the runup to November 2020, Trump again claimed there would be fraud, particularly focusing on vote by mail. It was known that Democrats were more likely to use absentee ballots this year and, in many states, counting them would occur after Nov. 3. Harris and I predicted “as protracted vote counting processes continue after Election Day, Democrats are likely to gain ground in tabulations. It seems reasonable to expect that Trump would then claim that the election was being rigged or stolen.”
Now Trump lawyers want absentee ballots ruled unconstitutional and thrown out but that’s unfair to voters who chose to use them, reasonably thinking they’d be counted.
But while Trump’s fictitious tale of corruption was expected, it still is wrong. Trump damages and disrespects democracy by undermining the respect due voters and the duly elected incoming president. What’s worse, Trump is increasing distrust for partisan and personal reasons.
How do we know Trump’s story is false?
To start, Attorney General Willliam Barr and cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs said there was no evidence of widespread fraud. But there is much more.
For one, Trump’s fraud claims are almost never repeated in the only venue where they could matter in changing vote totals — the courts. In Pennsylvania Trump lawyer Rudy Guiliani told the press there was widespread fraud, then told the judge “this is not a fraud case.”
Also Trump and his allies assert incoming votes from cities are suspicious “vote dumps.” They aren’t. Large population areas often report later.
Moreover, stories about voting machines switching votes have been disproven. In Georgia, a hand recount found the numbers nearly matched the original count. In Pennsylvania, the Dominion system Trump claimed was problematic wasn’t used in the counties where they claimed fraud.
In addition, purported experts from the Trump team lacked training, used methods that don’t meet professional standards and sometimes didn’t disclose how they reached their conclusions.
Those who best know how elections are carried out debunked florid claims. In Georgia, “State election investigators have already spent hours analyzing the video showing what Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani said was suitcases being pulled from under a table. They were, in fact, official, sealed ballot containers,” WSB-TV reported.
Shockingly, Trump and some of his allies called for illegal steps to keep him in office. Former Gen. Michael Flynn said Trump should “temporarily suspend the Constitution,” “declare limited martial law,” have “the military oversee a national re-vote” and “silence the destructive media.” Trump himself said state legislatures should ignore their own laws requiring electors to be picked based on the popular vote and instead select ones for Trump.
But there are also heroes who stood up against these disdainers of democracy and for the rule of law.
Trump appointee Judge Stephanos Bibas noted that the absence of both “specific allegations” and “proof” from Trump attorneys. In refusing to disenfranchise “millions of Pennsylvania voters who voted by mail,” Bibas upheld voters’ rights.
Other judges, state secretaries of state, election workers and other state and local officials have also acted with integrity, despite some facing threats against them.
They have defended democracy and deserve our appreciation.