When there is a situation of a candidate for president in the US 2024 election that espouses the right to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power it is time to address the situation in advance. Not accepting election results does not seem to be consistent with running for office in a fair election. If a hurt ego can prevail over the due process of collective voting, the election is meaningless. A resort to fantasy to overrule the honest vote of all participants does not seem right. Thus, it is incumbent on us, the rest of the people in the US, to work for a focus on reality, we need to work to find ways to ensure that fair, credible elections are run so that people believe the real results. We need the candidates to take an oath to be bound by the results of the election.
It would be good to lay out ahead of time the methods to be used in the conduct of the election and to have the candidates take an oath to uphold that means of conduct before the election is held. The penalty for not agreeing would be to not have the name listed on the ballot.
When a candidate has the mindset to question the results whenever a loss occurs, we need to remember that reality matters. When a cnadidate’s mindset turns to denial, there is more difficulty in achieving a peaceful transfer of power. It needs to be a basic tenant of running for office that the candidate take an oath to agree to accept the results of a fair election, and that the methods of obtaining a fair election be laid out ahead of time.
We have read in the news lately about candidates refusing to concede when he has lost. So, it is incumbent on us now, all of us, to protect the rule of law, to make sure a fair election will be run, anticipate deep challenges, and to conduct an election that is fair. That means the workers and observers need to represent opposite interests. Poll workers and election administrations from opposing parties need to cooperate with each other to get an honest election run.
Does it make it true that the election was crooked if a losing candidate says so? Even after recounts and challenges to the outcome of an election in court, there needs to be a peaceful transfer of power.
We need to start with poll workers from opposing parties who provide checks and balances. We need to have observers from opposing parties at every poll site. The poll workers and the observers need to be well trained as to how to perform their jobs. If there are threats they need to be stopped.