Civic virtue requires acceptance of election results

In a government of the people, an assault on the peaceful transfer of power requires a response from its citizens. In the aftermath of the insurrection on Capitol Hill, Congress is working on a response of accountability and protection. Our justice system is investigating and preparing charges for those responsible. A newly elected president is preparing to carry forward the work of leadership and governance.

So what should be the response of the citizens? After all, we get the government that we, the people, work to achieve.

We must respond first and foremost by peacefully accepting the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The election, conducted during a pandemic, was undoubtedly unusual. State legislatures and election officials implemented new processes to maximize voter turnout while minimizing the spread of disease. They succeeded. Voter turnout was the largest in American history. These new processes, however, did cause many to doubt the election’s legitimacy. The scrutiny did reveal possible vulnerabilities in the processes, but did not turn up actual fraud to any significant degree.

To believe that the 2020 election was fraudulently stolen is to accept or tolerate a lie. We’ve seen the danger of the lie as we watched its consequences of resentment, anger, violence and death manifest. We fear subsequent attacks in the days ahead. Together we mourn every one of the lives lost, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the brave law enforcement officers who were killed.

Accepting that the election was stolen may create animosity, contempt and mistrust among family, friends and coworkers. To take the leap that fraud actually occurred requires assuming that an enormous number of fellow citizens are criminals. No republic can survive with that kind of cynicism.

Tolerance of the lie may set a precedent for increased mistrust in future elections. The cumulative effects over time may result in the failure of this great democratic experiment, as many Americans fear.

Acceptance of the lie that the vote was stolen will perpetuate a history of Black voter disenfranchisement. Former President Donald Trump’s legal team focused on tossing the ballots primarily from predominantly nonwhite precincts and counties. If the courts had ruled in favor of Trump’s unsubstantiated claims, people of color would have been disenfranchised en masse, as it wouldn’t matter that they voted with the same processes and rules as predominantly white areas.

A poll, conducted by PBS Newshour-marist in the aftermath of the insurrection, reveals that Americans are pessimistic about the future of the country and see the political divisiveness as a threat to democracy. This perception is shared fairly equally by Democrats, Republicans and independents.

If we are to move forward as a nation, we must embrace evidence and reject conspiracy. The evidence shows that Americans should be confident that the election result is the will of the people. The ballots in this election, as in past elections, were tallied, reviewed, checked and investigated both at the local and state level by bipartisan election boards and secretaries of states. The results were certified in each state and signed by their respective governors. As is his right, Trump challenged the certifications with scores of lawsuits in the courts of several battleground states. He lost his challenges, including in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Electoral College voted and the electors remained faithful to the popular vote of their respective states, just as they did in 2016.

Across the country, election officials, including those with the Department of Homeland Security, reported that there was no evidence of systemic fraud in any state, no signs of foreign interference in election technology and no hardware or software failures other than a few negligible glitches.

Losing an election is painful. Democrats understand this well, and members of both parties can find commonality in loss. But we must exercise our civic virtue and end false claims of a stolen election. That doesn’t mean we must acquiesce in other matters. We will continue to debate our differences vigorously. The solutions to our problems will be more effective when considered from all sides. But if we peacefully accept the legitimacy of this election, we will be able to proceed from a point of truth. We will be able to proceed with shored up hope in our democracy and the goodness of the American people.