In what now seems like ancient history, it was once thought that an assertion or an accusation should be accompanied by evidence and rational argument. Alas, for a significant segment of our population, evidence and argument have been replaced by strident repetition, intimidation and violence. These tactics barely fell short of overturning the 2020 election, so the Republican Party and state Legislatures throughout the country are rushing to the rescue by pressuring and mounting primary challenges to those of their party who showed some integrity and by introducing legislation to make voting more difficult, particularly for minorities. They have also introduced some 148 bills in 36 states to further politicize and criminalize the election process by placing partisan elected officeholders in control of our elections. This assault on the integrity of the election process is clearly a significant threat to our democracy. To see how far we have fallen, everyone should read Al Gore’s concession speech following an equally contentious election that was actually close. Unfortunately, his hope that the 2000 election would point us to a new common ground is very far from being realised.
Craig Rushforth, Kaysville
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