As we approach another presidential election which many pundits and politicians are calling the most important in our lifetime, Americans' trust of the electoral process continues to decline to embarrassing levels. A new report published on HotAir points out that nearly half of Americans now mistrust election results, far more than any other democracy in the world. Those numbers are consistent with another poll taken last year that found more than half of voters believe there will be some form of cheating in the 2024 election.
The two biggest issues sowing distrust in American elections, according to the report, are lack of a universal voter ID requirement (individual states like Texas require voter ID, but most states do not), and lack of a paper ballot requirement, which most other democracies around the world have. Other factors in declining trust are the extended early voting season, which can now start more than a month before Election Day, and the extended length of time it takes to tally results and declare a winner (often days or sometimes weeks).
Election Day irregularities aside, there are other valid reasons a growing number of Americans suspect election shenanigans. "When we're seeing Hunter Biden literally convicted, based off information on a laptop that wasn't allowed to be a part of the discussion of the 2020 election, that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that (the election) was manipulated," says Anthony Russo, political commentator and host of The Truth Will Set You Free podcast. "And a lot of it comes down to the leftist media."
Rather than try to fix this distrust and bolster Americans' confidence in our institutions, Russo believes many of our leaders are only making it worse. "Why, in this modern day, do we take so long to get election results, why don't we make (Election Day) a holiday where everybody goes and votes that day, why don't we make these basic changes?" he asks. "Ultimately, it's because the people who are in there don't want these changes to be made."