Tom Stewart | Our long history of election interference | Columns

The term “election interference” has been in the news constantly since the 2016 presidential election.

Our history provides ample evidence that attempts to disenfranchise voters are not a new problem.

Many of us will remember how the Russian government attempted to influence that election. US intelligence agencies concluded that the operation had been ordered directly by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Mueller report, the U.S. Department of Justice's official 2019 publication summarizing the investigation into Russian activities, concluded that the interference was “widespread and systematic.”

A key part of Russian operations was hacking email servers and spreading false conspiracy theories.

As we look ahead to the 2024 elections, we are once again receiving reports of illegal activities by the Russians, as well as actions by China, Iran, and other countries. Internal electoral manipulation within our own country also remains a threat to the integrity of our elections.

Unfortunately, the impairment or restriction of the right to vote is an integral part of our country's almost 250-year history.

The right to vote in early America was reserved predominantly for white male landowners, many of whom were slave owners. A country founded on the principle that “all men are created equal” will always have this hypocrisy as part of our past.

Vermont gave all “men” the right to vote in 1791, regardless of color or property. Voting rights varied from state to state throughout the 19th century. My home state of Maryland passed a law allowing Jews to vote in 1828, making it the last state to lift religious restrictions.

The 15th Amendment to the Constitution in 1870 prevented the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous servitude.

Women were not granted the right to vote until the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920.

In the 1972 election, I was allowed to vote for the first time at the age of 20 because the 26th Amendment to the Constitution lowered the voting age to 18.

The controversy over the draft of 18-year-old men for military service gave rise to the phrase “old enough to fight, old enough to vote.”

One could argue that our history of restricting our citizens' voting is essentially a form of election interference.

The intimidation of voters and poll workers as well as the manipulation of the actual vote count are also part of our history and certainly not limited to the 2020 elections.

In her recent book, “America's Deadliest Election,” CNN political correspondent Dana Bash describes the violent election of 1872. Widespread accusations of corruption, fraud and political violence arose, particularly in Louisiana. The post-Civil War Reconstruction period was hampered, leading to the Jim Crow era and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan. The Colfax Massacre killed more than 100 black men trying to defend a courthouse. Jim Crow segregation laws remained in place in the South until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Eighty years later, during the 1956 elections, the idea of ​​using alternate electors to influence the election outcome arose.

MCNBC commentator Rachel Maddow's fascinating podcast “Ultra: Season 2” describes how ultra-right leaders unsuccessfully tried to qualify their own electors in several states in order to nominate Joe McCarthy as the Republican candidate to succeed incumbent President Dwight Eisenhower.

McCarthy's death in 1957 put an end to further attempts by the ultra-right to put him in the White House.

In the 1960 election between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon, there were signs of a “Stop the Steal” initiative. Maddow's research found that governors in four southern states asked electors to change the outcome by sending Nixon electors to overturn the result and “save the nation.” Fortunately, this initiative failed long after Nixon had conceded victory to Kennedy.

The recent history of events surrounding the 2020 election shows how the old game of “stop the steal” and the creation of fake electors resurfaced. Fortunately, the votes were certified in the early hours of January 7, 2020, and our electoral system remained intact after the insurrectionists' attempts to attack the Capitol failed.

Recently, Donald Trump claimed he had “every right” to interfere in the 2020 election. This statement from a former commander in chief and current presidential candidate should worry all Americans. The Supreme Court's decision to grant the president immunity for “official acts” raises further concerns.

Will Trump again assert the right to intervene in the 2024 election if he loses? Trump and his campaign have signaled their intention to manipulate and contest the results in swing states. Will the final results be certified on January 6 next year as required by law, or will the courts delay that process?

Will we finally be able to swear in a new president on January 20, 2025?

Tom Stewart is a semi-retired physical therapist from Windber.