America’s founders chose a democratic system for our newly formed country because they believed it to be the form of government most likely to protect the individual liberties which formed the ideological foundation for the new republic.
Public confidence in that system is essential for it to continue to serve as the means by which Americans control our government, and our civil liberties are preserved.
Transparency in how our government officials conduct the people’s business is vital to earning and maintaining trust. It’s why we have laws concerning opening meetings and access to public records.
It’s also why we have an extensive system for certifying elections.
President Joe Biden won the 2020 election fair and square, just as former President Donald Trump won the office back in 2024.
The legal process of certifying the election is still under way. We know the winner because we have trust in the election returns reported thus far, even though more votes remain to be counted.
Each state has its own legal process for certifying election results. This commonly includes compiling the results of each precinct and mail-in voting, addressing any issues or discrepancies, and a recount when warranted by state law. Then, local followed by state election officials provide final certification.
This process at the back end of the voting process ensures the front end meets legal standards. Failure to follow a rigorous process during the election raises the possibility of problems with election certification at the end.
There’s no doubt America generally and California specifically can improve the processes by which votes are cast and counted.
I hosted 37 center-right political leaders from throughout the world to observe the final days of the campaign and the voting process — many were shocked voters do not have to present identification to vote.
Meanwhile, counting ballots does not need to take a month, language appearing on our ballots can be more clear and objective concerning ballot propositions, and hiding the party affiliation of candidates for local offices denies voters information which would help them inform their decisions.
Any democratic system is a product of compromise and balance. Despite the room for improvement in our elections, and the occasional problems which emerge in any system involving human beings, it’s abundantly clear America knows how to run elections. More than that, the free world draws strength from the confidence in knowing the world’s largest economy and world’s superpower is governed by democratically elected representatives, not tyrants, dictators or oligarchs.
It is therefore vital that the officials responsible for election certification set clear standards before the voting begins, and evaluate any issues without regard to who may gain or lose. This requires a higher level of discipline in the highly polarized society we live in today. It’s not just about “winning” — it is about adherence to a higher standard of excellence and morality to earn the confidence of those our officials serve.
It is easy to lose sight of the extraordinary system of government we have created in America. Those living in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela — three countries in our own hemisphere — long for the liberty and democracy we enjoy. Dictators in those countries have engineered all kinds of ways to subvert the will of the people. They hold “elections” which are not at all democratic, rather they provide only a phony veneer of legitimacy, covering up a system which has been pre-engineered to determine the outcome.
No information has surfaced of any serious problem in how any state conducted its elections in 2024. Therefore, the results should be properly certified, and the winners sworn into office, to be subject to the ultimate authority of the American people the next time we go to the polls.
Nehring served as the 72nd chairman of the California Republican Party, from 2007 to 2011. He previously served as chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County and lives in Crest.