Dr Nicholas Waddy, Associate Professor of History at SUNY Alfred, reflects on the post-election situation in the United States.
Sputnik: How do you assess the situation where the acting President claims multiple violations during the elections but presents no proof to his claims?
Nicholas Waddy: I reject the charge that President Trump and Republicans have presented "no evidence" to substantiate the phenomenon of voter fraud in the 2020 election. There is ample statistical evidence of anomalies in heavily Democrat areas in the swing states, as well as heaps of affidavits from ordinary Americans who say they witnessed fraud and irregularities. That's not an absence of evidence. It's for the courts and the American people to decide whether the evidence is sufficient, not the media, which wants to dismiss any challenge to Biden's win summarily.
There are allegations of fraud on multiple levels. I believe voting machine malfeasance and ballot stuffing will be hard to prove, and that such proof inevitably would take time to assemble, but by contrast, it is clear that the handling of mail-in ballots this year frequently violated state laws. The rejection rate for such ballots, which historically is high, crashed to near zero - clear evidence that safeguards were abandoned. Thus, it is highly likely that invalid votes were counted. I await a Supreme Court ruling on the question of whether an election conducted outside the rules established by the relevant state legislature is valid or not.
Sputnik: How, do you think, these incessant claims affect the President's image, and the image of the Republican party in general? Do you think there's been any damage yet?
Nicholas Waddy: As to whether President Trump's questions about election integrity damage him or the Republican Party, I doubt it. President Trump's approval rating hasn't budged. Pollsters and experts have been predicting for years that Trump's "antics" would sink the GOP. They've been consistently wrong. In the end, I don't think anyone is surprised to see that President Trump is fighting tooth and nail to keep his job. He also sincerely believes that he won the election, and so do most Republicans.
Sputnik: Do you expect the evidence to be presented by the President's team?
Nicholas Waddy: Some of the statistical and witness evidence already has been presented. Some of it can't be for legal reasons. The problem is that the President's team has two audiences: the courts and the public. It's hard to satisfy both. The fact is that so many allegations are swirling that some will turn out to be a dead end. Some will not, but may take weeks to substantiate. Some are already coming into focus, like the loose enforcement of requirements for mail-in ballots. In the end, the American people should be patient. They should have confidence that our courts and our constitutional process will produce a legitimate outcome.
Sputnik: If yes, when, do you think, it might happen? Could the evidence somehow change the situation?
Nicholas Waddy: Could the evidence change the situation? Absolutely. The truth matters. Joe Biden's "wins" in the critical states were by razor-thin margins. Changing only a small number of votes could make Donald Trump the victor. Moreover, the American people will not accept a fraudulent outcome. The Supreme Court may strike down an unfair election. Vice-President Mike Pence, as the presiding officer of the Senate, may refuse to transmit tainted electoral college votes to Congress. By no means is this election over. The AP doesn't choose the president. The American people do, in accordance with the law and the constitution.
