Election Integrity

Imagine you're back in the 8th grade and it's time to vote for class president. There are 35 students in the class. Bob gets 25 votes, and Jim gets 10. But the next morning, the teacher announces that Jim is the new president. When the students complain, the teacher explains that all the students in the 3rd row voted for Jim, and traditionally, votes from the 3rd row are worth triple the other votes. So the final count is now 25 for Bob and 30 for Jim.

That's the Electoral College.

Now it's the next year, the same two guys are running, and everyone in the 9th grade is prepared. They persuade most of the 3rd row students to vote for Bob. Bob gets 30 votes, and Jim gets 5. Even with the triple-vote system, it's 30 for Bob and 15 for Jim. But the next day, the teacher announces that Jim is the president. When the students complain, she explains that a new rule allows her to throw out votes she doesn't like. Her final count is 1 for Bob and 15 for Jim.

That's the new "election integrity" law Republican state legislatures are trying to impose.

Choices

You may never want or need an abortion. Maybe you won't find yourself facing death from an ectopic pregnancy. Maybe you won't suffer a miscarriage and need lifesaving treatment. Maybe you won't be impregnated by a rapist. Maybe the hundreds of other things that can go wrong won't go wrong in your life. Lucky you. But what we are being told isn't just about babies and pregnancy. We are being told that the government has the right to monitor the most personal aspects of your life. That the government has the right to overrule your doctor regarding health care and emergency procedures. What if the government decides you shouldn't get cancer treatments or that setting your broken leg is contrary to God's will? Do you want the government to tell your doctors they can't treat your diabetes or your high blood pressure? Don't dismiss these ideas as farfetched. There are already politicians planning to tell you you can't have birth control pills or condoms (even if you're married). And there are already politicians planning to limit the medical decisions parents can make for their children. It's easy to think this only affects other people. But you will wake up one morning and find out it affects you. ^@realrkwest

Freedom

We used to have something called "freedom of religion". The Republican Party has replaced that with something they call "religious liberty".

Freedom of religion meant you could believe anything you wanted, and you could engage in activities related to those beliefs, as long as you didn't interfere with someone else's rights (eg., no human sacrifice). In this regard, all religions were equal under the law. The government could not require religious observance.

"Religious liberty", by contrast, means that certain privileged religious or quasi-religious beliefs have priority over others. Those privileged beliefs can be imposed on non-believers, and compliance can be required by law. ^@realrkwest

Winning and Losing

There is no shame in losing an election. The way elections work is, someone wins, someone loses. Honorable people who lose an election typically concede or congratulate the winner, and they move on with their lives. There is shame in losing an election only if the person who lost is a bad sport who reacts childishly, refuses to concede, accuses the winner of cheating, throws tantrums, becomes obsessed, and just generally behaves like a crazy person. Losing an election doesn't make someone a Loser. Being a spiteful crybaby does.