The Keep Our Republic Organization Reaffirms that Election Fraud is Nothing but Fantasy
By Matthew Thomas, Staff Writer
*Originally Published September 18th, 2024
On September 3, 2024, the Keep Our Republic organization hosted a forum at the Rogers Center to discuss the importance of election integrity. The panel travels throughout the country to educate the public about the election system and the importance of trust in it.
"The idea of this panel was to gain public trust in the elector … it essential for people to know where their vote goes after they cast it, and their vote is safe from fraud," Dr. Jason Jividen said, an associate professor of political science. Jividen served as the event moderator.
Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett addressed the nation's election process. He emphasized that the 2020 election was free and fair, and that election fraud is nothing but mere fantasy. Since the 2020 election, a recent Gallup poll has found that only 48% of the country believes the election was free and fair.
"There is no such thing as a perfect election, and human error always happens, but it is not enough to affect the outcome of the election,” Corbett said.
To retired U.S. District Judge Robert Cindrich, the courts' taking a larger role in elections is a troubling sign and an indication of democracy's political failure. "If we cannot throw away our differences to elect a president,” Cindrich said. “If democracy is truly working, we do not need much in the way of courts.”
Since the 2020 election, courts have become more involved in election issues. A recent court decision in Pennsylvania has ruled that county election boards cannot discard mail-in ballots due to a missing or incorrect handwritten date. Robert Beecher, deputy policy director for the Department of State, stated that the Josh Shapiro Administration will respect the court decision and defend voters' rights in Pennsylvania.
The current election commissioner for Westmoreland County, Ted Kopas, stated that elections have become increasingly negative over the years, with social media being the main driving force.
"Phones and social media have changed the landscape of elections in the United States, leading to misinformation.” Corbett said. He also noted that people tend to be divided into the "Blue team", or the "Red team", and that Google and social media algorithms tend to show users content that aligns with their existing views.
Corbett also raised the issue of the Pennsylvania primary system. Currently, Pennsylvania has a closed primary system, meaning that only registered voters affiliated with a specific party can vote for that party's candidates. As a result, Independent voters are not able to cast their vote for the candidate of their choice in the primary election.
"Pennsylvania is one of few states that have a closed primary system. Many people say, 'I may not like my candidate, but I can't vote for the other one from the other party.' Independents are one of the largest growing voting blocs in PA, but they cannot vote for the one that they want in the general election."
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