Election fraud myths

Columnist Jonah Goldberg’s essay on the myths surrounding elections is wrong on at least two points.

The first is that he alleges that both Democrats and Republicans believe that if the election were run correctly, their side would have won. But I can’t recall any Democrat who has publicly alleged that Trump won in 2016 because of a flawed election. We all agree for better or worse that Trump won in 2016 by carrying the crucial states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin by slim margins.

The second point is that the idea of widespread election fraud itself is largely fiction. Goldberg does not discuss the fact that there’s almost no evidence of fraud, yet dozens of laws are enacted nationwide to address this “problem.” The only evidence so far concerning Florida election fraud in 2020 are the shenanigans in a Miami-Dade state Senate race, where a “ghost” candidate with the same name as the Democratic candidate was allegedly paid to run by Republican operatives, and a handful of pathetic individuals in Miami-Dade and The Villages who allegedly voted twice for Trump.

Goldberg might better address DeSantis’ proposal for an election police force. Unlike actual police, who are badly overworked these days, election police would have to find ways to occupy their time. No one could ridicule them for spending their days at Dunkin’ Donuts.

Perhaps overwrought Republican legislators could borrow them to investigate clandestine critical race theory teaching in their districts or other imaginary problems. It’s difficult to identify a bigger waste of tax dollars than an election police force.

John Countryman, Plantation