The 2020 US presidential elections are first upon us. The past four years have seen numerous campaigns. An attempted impeachment and questionable nominations. Like most campaigns in the united states the process has been greatly emotive. Claims of ‘rigging the system’ have been thrown all over. What would amount to a rigged election in the United States?
In 2016, Donald Trump won the presidency through the college system. What does this implies despite him being unpopular among the citizens? He lost the popular vote by over 3 million votes. However his Republican party secured more representative seats. The voting system allocates each state a number of collegiate votes as shown.
A rigged election start all the way from voter education, access to voting materials and the voting process during the voting day. During the 2016 election voter misinformation was carried out through social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Claims of Russian interference were further investigated. The special counsel, Robert Muller report had damning findings. It was never adopted due to the political gerrymandering involved in such processes.
During the 2020 elections similar claims have been made. The FBI alerted the public of interference from Russia, Iran and China. But the biggest form of public misinformation has been through the office of the President. Trump’s continued false alerts have not helped much. Worries of the mishandling of the Coronavirus Pandemic have further been fuelled by a continued disconnect of Trump’s policy and his use of huge crowds for campaigns. He has also spoken so negatively about mail-in voting, a system he himself uses to vote. The use of mail in voting has been favored due to the threats of the pandemic. With over 95 million Americans voting early, it turns out that the unpopular president has a lot to worry about. But what if he wins again?
There are still huge chances for a Trump presidency. Only if the battle for the swing states of Winsconcin, Pennyslavia, Florida and Arizona is flipped back in his favor. A lot of factors will be in play for swinging the states. Most importantly voter suppression, which seems to be failing. It might therefore imply that Trump remains with the courts. With a 6-3 majority in the Supreme Court a lot can be desired.
This Presidential election should be studied keenly by Election historians. It might as well shape the world of politics once and for all. Will dictatorial oligarchs with a thirst for amassing public wealth into the hands of a few influential members of the nation win over the will of the people?
