Grand Old Vote-Riggers

After Donald Trump’s March 15 victory in the winner-take-all Florida primary, it seemed that nothing could stop his eventual nomination. However, a news story that came out on the day of Wisconsin’s primary, April 5, regarding how 300,000 minority and college-aged voters had been disenfranchised by that state’s strict voter-ID law, reminded me that things might not go the way they appear for Mr. Trump. You see nobody is better-skilled at rigging elections than the GOP, and they have made it very clear that a Trump candidacy is not in their interests.

While the wishes of party officials should play no role in the selection of a nominee and what ought to matter is the will of the people, via their ballot, Republicans have proven time and again that they care little for democ­racy. Who can forget the 2000 election with its hanging chads and confusing butterfly ballots? Republicans have brought us voter-ID laws, gerrymandering on an unprecedented scale, limit­less anonymous campaign money, “creative” districting which surgically incorporates prison populations, and now a questionable delegate-selection process that includes hand-selecting delegates who are certain to defect on a second ballot, all designed to ensure that the GOP gets what it wants. And that doesn’t include “The Donald.”