Our County’s Elections
To The Editor:
I was very pleased to read the above-the-fold article about Ron Briggs’ request that Fayette County count all ballots by hand in future elections. Mr. Briggs’ concerns aptly illustrate the true cost of Trumpism across the nation, even in our beloved Fayette County.
Since the election of November, 2020, DonaldTrump and his acolytes have shouted The Big Lie from every rooftop imaginable. With no evidence whatsoever, they have claimed that the election was “stolen” from Trump. One Republican operative, himself a convicted felon, even created a “documentary” that claims to have exposed rampant fraud; never mind that each of the absurd claims in 2000 Mules has been repeatedly debunked.
“Battles surrounding whether or not there was fraud in elections is causing enormous harm to our Republic.” Mr. Briggs is absolutely correct. The Big Lie has caused well-meaning citizens to distrust institutions that Americans have trusted for centuries. I do not know Mr. Briggs, but I assume him to be an honest person who loves his country and his community. Everything quoted in the article by Andy Behlen shows that Mr. Briggs has sincere concerns about election integrity.
In Fayette County, every ballot is recorded on paper. Some ballots are recorded on “bubble sheets” like the ones many people remember from taking tests in school. Other ballots are recorded using an electronic marking device which prints the ballot choices on a piece of cardstock. Both types of ballots can be verified by the voter’s own eyes and by the eyes of election workers. Both types of ballots are counted by optical counting machines and those counts can (and are) verified by selected hand counts of ballots. Machine counting of ballots is faster and more accurate than hand counting.
The truth is that elections across the country are run by ordinary people who come from a variety of backgrounds. They come together for each election committed to one goal: to preserve democracy through fair and accurate elections. I have had the privilege of serving in elections in Fayette County for many years. I have worked with Democrats and Republicans to ensure that every vote is counted. I encourage Mr. Briggs and any other interested person to join us in working elections in the future. I am certain that he will find, as I have, that our county is served by a fine group of people committed to accurately counting every vote.