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The courts are an important line of defense when it comes to election integrity (and we mean that term in its actual sense, not the sense it is used by stop-the-steal Trumpers like Mike Lindell). However, they are not the only line of defense. So, let's talk about some of the steps that others are taking, in anticipation of potential shadiness in a couple of weeks.
To start, if it is indeed a close election, then there is every chance of another "red mirage," wherein a state appears to be in the Trump column, but moves to the Harris column once the absentee totals start to come in. There was a time when reporters had to concern themselves only with forecasting and reporting. Now, they also have to be educators. And so, virtually every major news outlet has taken steps so they are in a position to communicate clearly to voters what is going on, and why they are making the calls they are making. To wit:
Mind you, we will still be very leery of Fox News' reporting on election night. Arnon Mishkin, who oversees Fox News' data/projections operation is very good. But they probably did err in calling Arizona as early as they did in 2020. Further, there is now enormous pressure being brought to bear from the propaganda side of the operation, which is roughly 95% of the staff.
Election officials are also gearing up for potential trouble. NBC News has been talking to the folks responsible for overseeing voting in various swing states, and yesterday reported on some of the measures being implemented. It's a mix of "heartening" and "really sad it's come to this."
For example, in Maricopa County, AZ, the tabulation center has been converted into something of an armed fortress. There are now two layers of security fencing, and the building will be protected on Election Day by drones flying overhead and by snipers on the roof. Many of the people who will work on tabulation will park off site, and will be transported by armored buses. Anyone who enters the building will have to pass through a metal detector and will be recorded by security cameras at all times.
Or how about Cobb County, GA? There, the local sheriff's department will station officers at all polling places. There will also be an emergency call center, with 148 cameras and closed-circuit TVs set up to monitor polling places and key traffic corridors, and fire/medical/police personnel available for rapid deployment, as needed. The Georgians toyed with installing panic buttons, very much like those used by banks to alert authorities about bank robbers. That proved dodgy, so election workers will be given police radios instead.
Maricopa and Cobb are just two of the more notable examples, but similar efforts are underway in places like Detroit, MI; Milwaukee, WI; Denver, CO; and other purple/blue-purple states. Further, those responsible for security don't necessarily want to show all their cards, so there are undoubtedly measures being taken that are not being shared with reporters.
And on that point (keeping things on the down-low), Kamala Harris sat down for yet another big interview yesterday, this one with NBC News. And one of the questions that came up was whether Team Harris was prepared if Donald Trump tries to declare victory prematurely, or to steal victory through chicanery. Harris responded "Of course," and said her team has "the resources and the expertise and the focus on that." She would not give specifics, which makes sense, since the Harris campaign doesn't want to show its playbook to the Trump campaign, and to give the Trump campaign time to figure out workarounds. But we have no doubt that Harris '24 is locked and loaded, should it be necessary.
The upshot here is this: Many people have observed that Trump and his acolytes have had 4 more years to plan and plot and scheme, and so can be expected to put up a better effort than their amateurish attempt to steal the election in 2020. This may be so, but those who would prevent Trump from stealing the election in 2024 have also had 4 more years to plan. And, in general, "people who do not work for Donald Trump" tend to be considerably more competent than "people who work for Donald Trump." Add in the courts (see above), and there is much in place to protect democracy in 2024, and an excellent chance that the line will hold. We've written it before, and we'll write it again: If the Republicans are going to steal this election, it is vastly more likely to happen with pre-election shenanigans than post-election shenanigans. Not that the pre-election shenanigans are going terribly well these days (see above and below). (Z)