"Take-Down in Terre Haute" about Stella Courtright Stimson and her fight to combat election fraud in the early 20th century.
First, please understand that at this time, 1913 to 1915, women did not have the right to vote yet which makes this story all the more remarkable considering that it was a woman who organized other women to document the widespread election fraud that was ongoing in Terre Haute, Indiana. Here is a link to that article.
I encourage you to read it assuming the link works properly.
What is interesting about the article, is that it details very clearly the methods used by those who perpetuated the fraud. In many ways, it was fairly easy to detect as it became clear to Stimson that some of those who were voting multiple times at the same polls, or multiple times in different precincts, did not try all that hard to hide their deceit. Once the methods became obvious, she and her team basically sat and watched and carefully noted the illegal voting, and then turned over the evidence to the state attorney, bypassing those within the town whom she knew were part of the plot.
The story stands in stark contrast to the bogus claims by the ex-president and his minions who talk about voter fraud, but are never able to present any receipts.
Right now, in the United States of America, there are dozens of lawsuits being adjudicated that attempt to restrict voting. Lawsuits trying to reduce or eliminate drop boxes for ballots. Lawsuits to reduce early voting. Lawsuits that want to declare invalid a mail-in vote that doesn't have a date printed by the voter on the outside of the envelope, kind of a bogus requirement to begin with considering that a mail-in vote is date stamped by the US postal service, lawsuits that want to fine people for providing water to those standing in line to vote, lawsuits to make it illegal for someone to drive people to the polls if they are not related to them.
Dozens of voter restrictions generated by the GOP as a result of the fact that their nominee has expressed disdain for mail-in voting. And has repeated, over and over and over again that Democrats cheat.
I did some research on the change in the trend of the American electorate to vote Republican rather than Democrat. Other than the one anomaly of 1976 when Carter won the White House, the GOP won both the popular vote and electoral college, overwhelmingly, from 1972 to 1988 (yes, Nixon won by a landslide in 1972).
However, since 1992, the Democratic candidate won the popular vote in seven of the eight elections, only losing in 2004 when Bush 2 won his second term. Unfortunately, in 2000 and 2016, the electoral college results placed the GOP candidate into the White House.
Does this mean that since 1992, Democrats have been cheating? Or, more likely, does it indicate a reversal of the attitudes of the America electorate which change dramatically from 1972 when the GOP candidates dominated in the popular vote.
I have written three previous posts with the label Voting since beginning this blog. What is interesting is that not much seems to have changed in the last dozen years.
Well, that is not totally true. The turnout rate topped 66% in the 2020 presidential election, the highest level by five percent as compared to the 2008 and 2016 elections, and higher in some cases by more than ten percent as compared to the string of elections from 1972 to 2000.
Unfortunately, what hasn't seemed to change is the research being undertaken by the electorate when they enter the voting booth, especially the lack of knowledge as it pertains to actual voting records of incumbents, actual historical facts as pertained to the lives of the candidates, and actual understanding as to how our government works.
What is especially maddening is how we have not only allowed, but emboldened some of our public servants to reject compromise and cooperation when crafting the laws and policies of our land. Somehow, my way or the highway, which might make for a great tag line in a movie, has become the motto of far too many legislators, and those who send them to our national and state capitols.
Here are the links to those other three posts.
There is certainly bipartisan agreement that free and fair elections are required for a democracy to flourish. Yet there is also a strong minority force that values electoral victory over election integrity, to such an extent that all sorts of election rules are being enacted and proposed that will make it harder for Americans to vote, not easier, as I have detailed above.
Now, don't get me wrong, gerrymandering by both sides is prevalent. Redrawing district lines that gives one party an advantage over the other, and creates some interestingly shaped electoral districts in the process is not limited to just one of our political parties. That in itself screams party over country, and is bad enough without creating laws in search of the very well documented lack of election fraud within our system.
I am not hopeful, as I have said in my posts, and to some of my friends and family. Democracy is not a gift from above, but needs to be earned by every generation. I fear we have already frittered it away, as indicated by the closeness of the 2024 presidential race in which one of the candidates praises the worlds' dictators, tells us that they are his friends and that he admires them, and has a rap sheet which would disqualify him from most local school board or government jobs.
Worse, regardless of who wins on November 5th, it is obvious that one of the candidates will not accept the result should he lose, nor will those who believe every lie he tells, which is just another indicator of our lost democracy. Let's hope the police offices who are protecting the capitol building are better equipped to repel the rioters next January.
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