LA voting debacle reflects a democracy in crisis

Half of America is watching LA count its votes with a sense of déjà vu: The spectacle of a candidate who is leading on election night, suddenly falling behind when mail-in ballots are counted, is what caused many to regard the 2020 election as fraudulent.There was no proof of fraud then, just as there is no proof in LA; but the process does not inspire confidence.The fact that we are being told — by incumbents — that everything is OK only deepens the suspicion.It was always possible — as I had said before Election Day — that socialist Nithya Raman would take second place, ahead of Pacific Palisades fire survivor Spencer Pratt.I used an analogy from auto racing: Raman was “drafting” off Pratt, letting him do the tough work of attacking incumbent Karen Bass, and take all the attacks in return, then scooping up voters who decided they could not reelect Bass, but would not vote for a Trump-like Republican.Yet, assuming that Raman does qualify for the general election ahead of Pratt, it would have been better to know that on election night — not several days after the fact. If there were, in fact, fraud, this is exactly what it would look like.

Again, there is no proof of fraud — but there is no proof that it isn’t.And those who defend California’s system as necessary for fairness and accuracy cannot explain why other Democrat-run states manage to count their results relatively quickly.

California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.Please provide a valid email.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story The California vote-counting debacle reflects a broader breakdown of social trust.

Democracy is not just a matter of majority rule; it is also a system of taking turns.And if a minority — be it a racial minority, or a political minority — is systemically excluded from governance, the system starts to fall ap...