August 23, 2023
Free and Fair Elections
by Steve Cickay

Losing candidates who make baseless attacks on the integrity of our elections lack maturity, and put our system of governance at risk.

I previously was a judge of elections at a Bucks County polling place. I worked with a dedicated team of extraordinary citizens who gave their time and energy to ensure that a free and fair election was held in our community. The team consisted of both Republicans and Democrats, but more importantly, all were Americans who loved our democracy. Everything we did was transparent to all during the long day of tedious work. When the polls closed, votes were tallied and written for all to see on official forms. Poll watchers were invited from both parties to watch the entire process to ensure every vote was correctly accounted for and documented. A copy of the vote tallies was even placed outside the building for everyone to see.

Lately, there have been unsubstantiated and relentless attacks on the integrity of our voting systems on the part of the party that lost the 2020 presidential election. These critics obviously don’t understand the excellence of our voting systems and the dogged commitment of election officials to truth and fairness in our elections.

I wish that candidates who lose and lack the maturity to accept the reality of their loss would refrain from disseminating misinformation about our election processes. Their self-serving lies erode the confidence the American people have in our precious system of government as well as insult thousands of our neighbors who work so hard on Election Day to carry out the difficult, tedious, but rewarding work of our great democracy.