What You Need to Know: “Rigged Election”, the Administration’s response, and democratic history.

The results of the 2020 General Election have been called, according to the Associated Press, determining that candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will become the U.S. President and Vice President in January. These results came with a stark divide between President Donald Trump’s accusations of voter fraud and his administration’s call for trust in the electoral system.

President Trump has been vocal in denouncing the trustworthiness of mail-in ballots and the electoral process as a whole, saying: “He [Biden] only won in the eyes of the FAKE NEWS MEDIA. I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go. This was a RIGGED ELECTION!”

President Trump’s refusal to concede the election or recognize President-Elect Joe Biden has resulted in numerous states calling for recounts and more than a dozen lawsuits filed for state and federal review. A report by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) concluded “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,”, adding “While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should too,”

The Director of CISA, Chris Krebs, nominated for this position by President Trump, has worked to maintain the mission to provide non partisan and trusted election security. Krebs is now expected to be removed from his position due to condemnation from Capitol Hill, and following the forced resignation of senior CISA official, Bryan Ware.

Though this is not the first time a contemporary election has been called into question, there has not ever been an election where the incumbent has refused to concede an election or commit to a peaceful transition of power. The only other candidate to contest election results was Al Gore v. Bush in the 2000 General Election. Thus, President Trump’s accusations have broader implications than this election, as they call into question the credibility of our electoral system, and the foundation of U.S. democracy.

Sources: Time