Trending
Donald Trump is sending mixed messages to his supporters. One day he tells them not to bother voting, that he has all the votes he needs. The next, he says it's very important to vote in this election. They will never have to bother voting again. Exactly what is he saying or, more importantly, why is he saying it?
National elections are pyramids: each polling place verifies election totals and reports to the county. County election officials certify results and report to the state. (See PA Election Code Article III, Section 302 [k]) The state certifies it and reports to the US Congress, which, on January 6, certifies the results and declares who has officially won the election. Ingrained in all these steps are strict procedures that are designed to prevent interference with the end result, i.e., the election of the President. However, Georgia just passed a law that allows counties to refuse to certify without cause. If states cannot fulfill their part of the process because counties refuse to certify the results, it all falls apart.
Apparently there is a plan to block the certification of election results in November. The theory is that if enough states cannot certify the vote count, Congress will not be able to declare a winner. This would throw a monkey wrench into the gears of our election process. Is this perhaps why it doesn't matter to Mr. Trump whether his people vote for him or not?
As a local poll worker, I have personally witnessed the fastidious scrutiny that goes into making sure everything goes according to regulations. Nothing is ignored, not even the security tags that are removed from bags and machines that are used in the process. Everything is accounted for and turned in to the county at the end of the day. Polling places have officials of both major parties who oversee the process and prevent unscrupulous actions. Additionally, political parties can appoint poll watchers to observe in the polling places. There are judges of election, majority inspectors and minority inspectors. It would be easier to break into Fort Knox than to thwart this process.
Rolling Stone magazine reports that more than 70 pro-Trump election conspiracists are working as local election officials in six key battleground states (Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and PENNSYLVANIA). According to CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington), the role of local county election boards is ministerial. Their function is simply to approve the results and pass them on. If they have concerns, there are official means to report and investigate them. It is not their responsibility to stop the process at the county level. CREW President Noah Bookbinder notes that local challenges to certification are clearly illegal in all states. If fraud or misconduct is suspected, the law provides for official means to deal with this. Bookbinder says that in some localities, election boards have done a practice run by challenging the results of small inconsequential elections in preparation for Nov. 5.
Mandating hand counts, questioning the veracity of the vote and the voter, and casting doubt on the entire process can delay certification of the election.
Another tool that conspiracists can use is voter suppression, demanding that voter registrations be purged and challenging voters they don't even know. This can result in voters showing up on election day only to discover their names are not in the poll book. It's a good idea for everyone to check their registration status before the last day to register which is Oct. 21. The good news is that any such challenges to the poll list cannot be brought within 90 days of an election and we are past that now. Our registration database is as up-to-date as humanly possible. Voter Services departments in the various counties are notified of deaths by the Department of Health and follow obituaries to delete voters who have died. They literally use every means that is legally allowed to make sure registrations are correct.
Voting is the sacred right of every American. It is incumbent on each of us to see that elections are conducted legally and fairly and that every vote counts.
Verna Caruso, a Muncy native, is a former staff member at Inc. magazine and past chair of the Lycoming County Democratic Committee.