President Donald Trump may be right. He believes that “millions” of illegal votes were cast in the recent election cycle. Let’s take him at his word. It was a serious thing for candidate Trump to assert without evidence that the electoral process is invalid and corrupt. But asserting it as President-elect is quite another. A recount of the election will not change the result. A recount and inquiry will, however, restore confidence in the democratic process and indicate where safeguards need to be installed and changes made. If there are millions of illegal voters, let’s get them off the voter rolls. If foreign governments hacked systems or planted disinformation, let’s protect against it. Confidence in democratic elections is essential to our form of government. Such an inquiry must not rely on the ability of groups to raise money to fund recounts. That gives democracy to the highest bidder. The inquiry must be funded and conducted by Congress. I hope all citizens will join me in writing their representatives in the House and Senate urging a full and transparent inquiry into the election. It is critical that we know if there were millions of illegal votes, whether or not foreign governments interfered with our political process and how to prevent it in the future.
Submitted by Michael Pfeifer