Dear Fellow Marylanders,
It’s not too hard for Ravens fans to picture our team heading to the Super Bowl this year. If you are a fan of the Commanders, you probably can picture your team heading there, too. But now imagine if the opposing team’s coach spends the entire lead-up to the Super Bowl saying that the only way the Ravens – or the Commanders – could win is if they cheated. Unfair, right?
The game hasn’t even been played but they say the game is rigged. If this was really happening, it would not only be bad for the game but bad for the league and the entire sport. It would poison interactions between teams and players, referees, and even fans looking in from the outside. Some would wonder if the game was worth playing while others would hyper-analyze every move and play made. It would taint future games, as well, even if it was publicly shown that there was no cheating.
This is what has been happening in our electoral system today. Since 2020, one side has been making unproven allegations that have been poisoning trust in our elections. There have been over 60 court cases where judges reviewed materials and claims and legally dismissed the idea that there were any widespread anomalies in the 2020 election. Knowing there were no broad problems in the election, they keep pushing the storyline because raising doubts is the current goal.
Fast forward to 2024. New polling out Friday from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows there is significant skepticism about the pending election results. The AP reports that almost a third of the electorate already distrusts the results.
“About 3 in 10 say they have “only a little” or no confidence in the nationwide count, while fewer say that about the tally in their state or by local officials.”
Sowing seeds of mistrust in our government and our laws is nothing new. but the sustained effort and extent of obstruction and falsehoods is unprecedented. To that end, it is not an exaggeration to say that how we conduct this current election will have an effect on the state of our republic – American democracy – for years to come. Whatever the result, whoever is the winner, we cannot allow those who want to create chaos and apprehension to write the election integrity narrative.
To protect the vote, all votes, Maryland election officials and law enforcement are working together to ensure ballot boxes are protected. After Washington and Oregon both had incidents of ballot boxes being intentionally set on fire, Maryland’s state administrator of elections, Jared DeMarinis, said, “We have taken steps to mitigate any potential problems if it occurs in Maryland.” This includes 24/7 video surveillance of all drop boxes statewide. DeMarinis rightly called attempts to destroy official ballots “a crime against democracy.”
Physical security also is being ramped up to protect poll workers and election officials. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has stepped up to assess the security of more than 1,000 election and polling locations and they have held more than 400 safety training sessions. As an example of how far things have gone, in Washington County, Pa., election officials hired private security guards to fill dozens of vacancies for poll workers who retired or feared their safety on the job. More is being done coast to coast and everywhere in between.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland is participating in the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program, which will respond to election day complaints involving voting rights concerns, threats of violence or intimidation, and election fraud.
Trust. Integrity. These are foundational to a functioning society and the rule of law. They are important American values. Are all men and women perfect? No, it’s why we have guardrails and checks and balances in our government. When the guardrails come off, things can go astray fairly quickly. I plan to do all I can to make sure we never get to such a low point in American politics.
Will you join me? If you have not yet voted, do you have a plan to vote? One of the best antidotes to those who want to poison our elections is to have a strong, robust vote that generates transparent, unquestionable results. Vote however you like but let’s all do whatever we can to support American democracy, the rule of law and true election integrity.
Thank you. Please feel free to reply to this email with your thoughts on this or any other topic. If you can, send a photo back with a picture of you wearing your “I voted” sticker. Show your pride in our elections.
In solidarity,
Ben Cardin
