Georgia’s election

Like good nursing care and safe air travel, democratic elections rely on many unsung workers who believe in doing a good job because they believe they are doing something important. Georgia’s voting implementation manager, Gabriel Sterling, gave a press conference yesterday debunking many of the conspiracy theories about the general election there, from the ballots under the table to dead people voting. While addressing public concerns is a necessary part of running an election, I doubt Sterling ever thought he would be fighting a US president purposely spreading lies to overturn an election.

I disagree with him on one point. Georgian Republicans should stay home. Not because they have doubts about the electoral process there. Rather, because they should listen to Trump’s crooked call trying to extort Raffensperger, and to the press conference linked above. Those should leave any honest Republican so disgusted with a party that has weaponized conspiracy theories that they cannot bring themselves to support it today. It would, of course, be unprofessional for Sterling to say such a thing, since his job requires him not to act for one party or the other, even when one is attacking democracy. Those of us not so constrained can point to the obvious.