“Faith is the substance of things hoped for,” says the Bible. When the “things hoped for” are a product of wishful thinking, though, faith may ultimately prove to be of flimsy substance. Given the voting anomalies surrounding the 2020 presidential election that awarded the presidency to Joe Biden, Americans presuming the upcoming 2022 midterms to be a model of election integrity may be disappointed.

For more than a year, conservative political figures and like-minded media have optimistically forecast that President Biden’s failing leadership and dismal poll numbers make a Republican wave inevitable on Nov. 8. Even reliably Democratic-friendly news outlets glumly agree. The Real Clear Politics’ fact-based aggregate of polls currently projects a 52-48 Republican post-election Senate majority and a 220-180 GOP House majority, with 35 toss-up seats.

Such a hoped-for outcome, though, is contingent upon balloting free of disturbing developments similar to those surrounding the 2020 presidential vote, which left many voters doubting the integrity of the process. Some turns of events during the election cycle two years ago appeared head-shakingly unacceptable, such as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s hasty loosening of voting rules in apparent violation of the Keystone State’s constitution. Others, like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s favoring of Democratic strongholds in distributing $419 million to election operations, violated the spirit of fair elections.

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In light of the past, how can Americans be certain the anticipated Republican wave will not be quelled? Some election-related anomalies have already caused ripples. Earlier this year, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency reported that 16 states using electronic voting machines are failing to use the safeguards necessary to prevent hacking.

And earlier this month, news broke that the office of Colorado’s secretary of state sent out voter registration notices to nearly 30,000 non-citizens. “Make sure your voice is heard this November,” read the postcards, which directed eligible and ineligible recipients alike to register to vote.

When election integrity can be compromised with the mere push of a button on a government computer, only the hopelessly naïve are surprised when it occurs. Most Americans, however, didn’t fall off the turnip truck yesterday. That’s why only 20% of them claim to be very confident in the integrity of the election system, according to an ABC/Ipsos poll conducted earlier this year. Unsurprising in light of the 2020 election wipeout, a meager 13% of Republicans express full assurance in U.S. elections. Despite their dominance, even 30% of Democrats harbor grave doubts.

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Still, hope endures, thanks to countervailing forces defending election integrity. The Supreme Court overcame its timid approach to election-law precedent last week in overturning a lower court ruling that Pennsylvania mail-in ballots missing a required date must nonetheless be counted. And Delaware’s Supreme Court has ruled that recently passed laws authorizing universal vote by mail and same-day registration are unconstitutional, thus striking a blow against Democratic-backed measures that weaken voter authentication efforts.

As Election Day looms closer, Americans with and without faith in the nation’s election system would be wise to recall the Russian proverb that became President Ronald Reagan’s time-honored advice for safeguarding democracy from duplicity: “Trust, but verify.”




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