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When Trust in Elections Breaks, Democracy Follows

 

 

by Author Bill Farley

 

When Trust in Elections Breaks, Democracy Follows

 

For much of American history, elections were contentious but accepted. Losers disagreed, supporters grumbled, but the results themselves were largely trusted. That assumption no longer holds.

 

Recent headlines surrounding alleged invalid ballots in Georgia’s 2020 election have once again reignited national debate. Some reports and commentary claim that as many as 315,000 votes may not have met legal standards. These claims are disputed, contested, and unresolved, but their impact is real regardless of their final legal outcome. Millions of Americans believe such a scenario is plausible.

 

If such allegations were ever proven true, the consequences would be enormous. Georgia was decided by a narrow margin, and a shift of that size could have changed not only the state’s result but the outcome of the entire election. Yet even without definitive proof, the broader issue remains: public trust in the electoral system is eroding.

 

At the same time, similar controversies are unfolding elsewhere. In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine has stated that ballots arriving after polls close may be invalid regardless of postmark, depending on state law interpretation. Supporters argue this is about enforcing clear deadlines and preserving election integrity. Critics counter that such rules could disproportionately affect certain voters and appear politically motivated.

 

What matters most is not just what courts ultimately decide, but how these actions are perceived. When election rules are viewed as tools rather than safeguards, legitimacy suffers.

 

This distrust did not begin in 2020.

 

Following the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton and many of her supporters argued that Russian interference, the FBI’s late decision to reopen an investigation into her emails, and a distorted media environment contributed to her loss. While most Democrats did not claim widespread voter fraud altered vote totals, many believed the system itself had been compromised.

 

The language differed, but the sentiment was similar. The election did not feel fair.

 

In that sense, the United States has been traveling down this road for nearly a decade. Each election deepens suspicion. Each loss reinforces the belief that something is fundamentally broken.

 

Adding to this problem is gerrymandering. Districts drawn to protect political power rather than represent voters create elections where outcomes feel predetermined. When voters believe their participation no longer matters, disengagement follows. Democracy does not fail in one dramatic moment; it erodes quietly as trust disappears.

 

These dynamics are at the heart of my book, The Fracture: How Political Division Is Tearing America Apart. The central argument is not that one side is right and the other wrong, but that institutional trust itself is collapsing. Transparency feels selective. Accountability feels partisan. Explanations feel dismissive.

 

Democracy does not require blind faith, but it does require baseline confidence in shared systems. When every election loss is framed as corruption, every rule as rigging, and every institution as illegitimate, facts lose their power to unify.

 

The danger is not disagreement. The danger is a nation that no longer believes its own processes can be trusted.

 

If trust is not restored through transparency, consistency, and accountability applied equally, the fractures will continue to widen. And once that happens, no election outcome, no matter who wins, will truly be accepted.

 

Read The Fracture: How Political Division is Tearing America Apart — available now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FV9Z4SD4

 

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