When we follow and read conventional Arabic social media in the Arab region, an observer can quickly see that many Arabs continue to question US elections’ integrity and credibility. Some describe it as “pre-cooked” or decided by “hidden” powers that operate in the dark and decide who governs the American people. This rhetoric intensified when Donald Trump began challenging the elections, using false accusations to convince his popular base that the election was stolen from him.
I wondered why this mindset is so popular on social media among Arabs despite the absence of fair and election laws, let alone free elections. Many commentators and researchers in political sociology attribute this phenomenon to the conspiracy theories espoused by many. In a previous article, I covered why conspiracy theories are an acceptable option in ordinary people’s minds.
For those who do not live in the United States, conspiracy theories may be rational at times and are required at times. Non-democratic governments use conspiracy theories using media for many reasons, including distracting people from domestic and pressing issues and convincing them of the existence of external forces that prevent them from practicing democratic elections.
Let us agree that many politicians and researchers realize that American foreign policy is a long-term strategy that does not change significantly regardless of which two major parties rule the United States. It is based on interests and not always governed by values and morals. Still, we can argue which government takes values and ethics into consideration when in power?
As for domestic politics and local affairs, the situation is entirely different and is the source of real American power. The US elections are the ultimate product of three interconnected and mutually reinforcing pillars: human rights, the rule of law, and democracy. They belong to the fundamental values and principles of managing any society’s internal affairs and are indivisible.
The founders of the US Constitution anticipated the human tendency to control while in power, so they placed election laws and processes in the hands of state legislators and not under the US president’s powers to ensure that the ordinary voter’s and the taxpayer’s voice is heard. This is what some people in other countries are not used to.
Here are ten reasons why philosophy and democracy are winning the 2020 US election
- The Rule of Law
John Adams (the second President of the United States) wrote in 1735 that the Republic is “a state of law, not a state of men.” His words indicated the basic rule in American domestic affairs’ governance that no one is above the law, and everyone should be treated under the law. The United States had just emerged from King George III of England’s authoritarian rule and sought to establish a state governed by the rule of law, instead of the oppressive and corrupt regime of an authoritarian few.
- Justice
Since the early days of the founders’ rule, law and justice faced many challenges, such as the civil war, the Watergate case, and others. Some influential people and their supporters devised many ways to overcome the law, and they succeeded on some occasions. But throughout American history, this principle has usually been constant protection for citizens who want to live their lives within the law, believing that the justice system will treat them fairly, whether they are Bill Gates or an immigrant who recently arrived in the United States.
- No taxes Without Political and Electoral Representation
It is a political slogan used during the American Revolution in 1768, and it expressed the primary grievances of the American settlers against Great Britain. This political slogan has become the main driver of Americans’ rights to elect their President using fair and free elections as long as they pay their taxes to the state.
- Fair Financial Budgets for The Electoral Process
The United States Constitution (Article 1, Section 4, Clause 1) grants state legislatures the authority to organize, finance, and support technical and logistical elections. In other words, the state has many reasons to ensure free and fair elections for taxpayers. Due to the complexity of elections and the participation of several levels of institutions, it is rare to know the size of the costs of running elections within a state. Elections require employees’ salaries, renting polling sites, printing ballot papers, disseminating voter information, IT security, and keeping pace with changing government legislation that organizes elections.
- The integrity of state legislators, regardless of their party loyalties
President Trump refused to accept the apparent loss of the presidency. And his campaign increasingly tried to reverse the election results in the various swing states. Although some Republican leaders in Parliament have indulged sloppily in those efforts, all republican lawmakers in swing states did not change the vote to elect Donald Trump. They sided with the majority votes in their states as stipulated in the state constitution and laws.
- The integrity of The Electoral College Representatives
The US presidential election operates uniquely, requiring each state to have specific electors who can be trusted to vote on behalf of people in the state. These voters are nominated by each political party (Republican and Democratic) and are generally ordinary citizens and abide by law and order. They swear that they will vote according to the popular vote in the state.
The Electoral College method in the United States suffers from a challenge known as the “Faithless Voter,” in which voters for that college cast their ballots against their state’s popular vote dictates. Although this has occurred throughout history by state voters, it has never changed any US election outcome. And it often has many legal and other consequences for voters. Click here to learn more about the US Electoral College System
- Separation of Powers
Separation of powers aims to divide government responsibilities into distinct branches to limit any branch from exercising the other’s essential functions or interfering with or influencing the other branches. Persons assigned to the exercise of one of the powers may not exercise any of the other two powers except as permitted by this Constitution. The three powers are:
The legislative authority is responsible for enacting state laws and allocating the necessary funds to run the government. Parliament and the Senate represent it.
The executive branch is responsible for implementing and managing the public policy that it enacts and finances the legislative authority.
The judiciary is responsible for interpreting the Constitution and laws and applying its interpretations to the disputes brought before it
- Ensuring Checks and Balances
Institutional tools for achieving separation of powers are abundant in the Constitution. For example, having two branches in Parliament (Congress and Senate) reduces legislative dominance. A presidential veto gives the President a way to defend his priorities and operational plans and prevents bypassing Parliament. At the same time, the Constitution allows the Senate to monitor the President in appointments and treaties. The courts’ independence is guaranteed by ensuring high salaries for judges and continuity of work for a period until death on the condition of good job behavior. Judges consult with the other two branches if necessary. It grants the power to impeach the President and hold executive branch members accountable to Parliament to fight corruption and abuse of power in the other two branches.
- Freedom of Expression
The First Amendment to the US Constitution states the following: “Congress may not pass any law … that restricts freedom of speech.” Freedom of expression is not absolute, and restrictions or shared limits on freedom of expression are linked to the Constitution and the judiciary system. Freedom of expression is a multi-faceted right that includes the right to express ideas disseminate and information, but there are three other distinct aspects:
The right to receive information and ideas.
The right to receive information and ideas.
The right to impart information and ideas.
- Ensuring Freedom of The Press
The First Amendment to the US Constitution, which protects freedom of the press, was adopted on December 15, 1791, as part of the General Rights Act. Freedom of the press, which is the right to report news or circulate opinion without government censorship. Americans enjoy the press’s freedom as one of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution.
Donald Trump tried to suppress the media at times, using lies and calling them fake news companies and trying to prevent journalists from White House briefings, always failing because of the winning cases of media institutions in the courts. These same companies were asked to declare the winner of the 2020 election and Donald Trump’s loss.
Conclusion
For weeks, Donald Trump tried to reverse the election results with unfounded and unproven accusations of voter fraud in swing states. He refused to concede, and in doing so, he and his allies undermined confidence in the country’s free and fair election system. Nevertheless, the ten reasons we have described in this article and the established electoral system by the United States’ founders proved victory in the end.