Preventing Chaos in Tallying the US Presidential Vote Is Essential
Published in Sankei Shimbun
(Japan) on 6 October 2024
by (link to original)
Election day in the U.S. is only one month away. In the showdown between Democratic Party candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Republican Party candidate, former President Donald Trump, the focus is on eligible voters in battleground states.
In previous elections that were close contests, many cases where there were doubts about the vote count and vote-counting process led to court battles, significantly delaying certification of the final results. There is concern that the same thing will happen again in this election.
If the final result is delayed, the chaos and division that exist in U.S. politics will only deepen. If the next president is not confirmed, it could also negatively impact the international community.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the tense state of affairs in the Middle East and China's aggression with Taiwan and other nations around the South China Sea's coast threaten world peace and stability. The world situation cannot tolerate a political vacuum in the United States.
Even if it is a close contest, it is absolutely essential that the U.S. presidential election proceed freely and fairly.
Democratic and Republican authorities in battleground states must scrupulously prepare for and enforce the proper election process. They must of course sternly deal with any election fraud.
During the 2000 election between Republican candidate George W. Bush and Democratic Vice President Al Gore, the vote was extremely close in Florida and led to a court battle. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided the election, and Gore conceded defeat more than a month after Election Day.
The last presidential election took place in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mail-in voting was widely used to protect voters from infection. Trump complained that voting by mail was not trustworthy, and sued in several states.
In the current election, a poll conducted by Reuters this summer found that more than 80% of respondents said they were afraid there would be violence by political extremists after the election. In a separate survey, nearly 70% of respondents said they believed Trump was "not prepared" to accept the election outcome We cannot have such confusion.
Furthermore, there should be heightened vigilance with respect to foreign interference in the election by China, Russia and Iran, among others , countries that seek to spread disinformation online, incite violence, and stir up mutual hatred between the Democratic and Republican camps.
In previous elections that were close contests, many cases where there were doubts about the vote count and vote-counting process led to court battles, significantly delaying certification of the final results. There is concern that the same thing will happen again in this election.
If the final result is delayed, the chaos and division that exist in U.S. politics will only deepen. If the next president is not confirmed, it could also negatively impact the international community.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the tense state of affairs in the Middle East and China's aggression with Taiwan and other nations around the South China Sea's coast threaten world peace and stability. The world situation cannot tolerate a political vacuum in the United States.
Even if it is a close contest, it is absolutely essential that the U.S. presidential election proceed freely and fairly.
Democratic and Republican authorities in battleground states must scrupulously prepare for and enforce the proper election process. They must of course sternly deal with any election fraud.
During the 2000 election between Republican candidate George W. Bush and Democratic Vice President Al Gore, the vote was extremely close in Florida and led to a court battle. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided the election, and Gore conceded defeat more than a month after Election Day.
The last presidential election took place in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mail-in voting was widely used to protect voters from infection. Trump complained that voting by mail was not trustworthy, and sued in several states.
In the current election, a poll conducted by Reuters this summer found that more than 80% of respondents said they were afraid there would be violence by political extremists after the election. In a separate survey, nearly 70% of respondents said they believed Trump was "not prepared" to accept the election outcome We cannot have such confusion.
Furthermore, there should be heightened vigilance with respect to foreign interference in the election by China, Russia and Iran, among others , countries that seek to spread disinformation online, incite violence, and stir up mutual hatred between the Democratic and Republican camps.
Previous article![]( "Irish Examiner View: Elon Musk’s Championing of Trump Puts US Democracy in a Dangerous Place")
Next article![]( "Elon Musk Has Too Much Power")