We are witnessing the worst stain on American democracy in modern history. The greatest nation on earth is still waiting to declare a winner of the presidential election. This is a complete disgrace. Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Arizona still have not called their states for President Donald Trump or Joe Biden.
The world is laughing at us. This was the most predictable result possible. For months, Republicans decried massive pushes by Democrats to overhaul our electoral system only weeks before the biggest election of our lifetime. Nevertheless, states went ahead and implemented ridiculous mail-in voting systems that would create chaos around Election Day. Unfortunately, we are living through this nightmare right now, and there’s no end in sight.
In Georgia, we watched President Trump’s hundreds-of-thousand vote lead over Joe Biden disappear in the middle of the night as an influx of mail-in-votes were counted. In the dead of night, hour by hour, the president’s lead was chipped away. Putting aside the question of legitimacy surrounding that, the optics could not be worse. Moreover, Georgia’s state government has been disastrous at transparently communicating how many votes were left to be counted.
The American people have been kept on a whim staring at their television screens waiting for the final results of the Peach State. However, the information put out is continuously contradictory. How can we not get a definitive answer on how many ballots are left to be counted? How can Georgians and all Americans trust the validity of election results when the process stinks to high heaven.
Americans’ right to vote must be done safely, securely, and in a non-partisan manner. The twin pillars of voting equality are ballot access and ballot integrity. If we don’t have that, we don’t have a country. I’m encouraged by President Trump refusing to take this scam laying down. He’s not only fighting for the legitimacy of his election results, but he’s fighting for the principle of free and fair elections that are fundamental to American democracy.
There is a stark contrast unfolding over the 2020 election. Republicans are committed to protecting the principle of one person, one vote. They want transparency and fairness. On the other hand, Democrats don’t share that same desire. In Georgia and all across the country, Democrats are fighting transparency at every step of the way.
Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones, a former Democrat, supports President Donald Trump.
