An Election Integrity Analogy: Good Efforts do NOT assure Good Results

When faced with a complicated, multi-faceted problem like election integrity, it’s often easier to get a much better grasp of it by using an analogy…

A home remodeling project might be a good comparison. Let’s say we have a 250-year-old, 3-story home, that has exceptional historical significance. (For example, let’s imagine that in this home a group of patriots met and drafted up the first version of the Constitution!) Additionally, it is an architecturally beautiful building.

Although the home mostly has “good bones,” it has fallen on hard times due to decades of neglect, disputes of ownership, self-serving actions by caretakers, etc.

Some of the current issues are: dilapidated siding, deuterating porches, large holes in the roof, a woefully inadequate electrical system, antiquated plumbing, floors that need refinishing, walls that must be painted or repapered, etc. Although the foundation needs minor attention, it still seems to be solid.

Since no one else is doing anything meaningful about this property (other than a lot of talk, blame, and obfuscation), a group of patriotic citizens decides that they will step in.

These selfless volunteers get permission and then (at their own expense!) energetically do the following: start cleaning up the mess, wallpapering and painting walls, sanding floors, upgrading the electrical system, installing new plumbing, fixing broken windows, repairing porches, pointing chimneys, and improving the landscaping.

Do you see any problems here in my made-up analogy?

I’ve phrased it in such a way that it’s clear that there is no professional oversight to organize and direct these excellent efforts, in an appropriate, effective way. For example, renovation of such a property needs to be done in the proper sequence. In this case, it is a waste of time, effort and money to be finishing interior walls and floors before ALL of the needed plumbing and electrical work is done.

The biggest error in this analogy is also a sequential failure. The number one priority of this renovation MUST be to fix the roof. Almost any work on the interior is likely wasted until the inside is no longer exposed to the elements.

So what’s the parallel with election integrity?

We have almost 250 years of election history, architecturally attractive, and built on a solid foundation. However, our election system has fallen on very hard times due to decades of neglect, disputes about responsibility, self-serving actions by those elected to be caretakers, etc.

One of the few positives about the 2020 election is that it woke up many citizens to the reality that our election system has become seriously deteriorated.

In response, many hundreds of patriotic people have dedicated considerable time, effort, and money in an attempt to renovate our election system. My point here is that unless the contributions of these volunteers are properly focused, it’s likely that the majority of it will do very little. (The 2022 elections should have been a wake-up call!)

So what is the elections parallel with starting by properly fixing the roof?

Meaningful post-election audits!

(See “The Solution” for election integrity: here.)

Without doing that, very little of the rest of the superior efforts will be of any avail!

©2024. All rights reserved.

Here are other materials by this scientist that you might find interesting:

My Substack Commentaries for 2023 (arranged by topic)

Check out the chronological Archives of my entire Critical Thinking substack.

WiseEnergy.org: discusses the Science (or lack thereof) behind our energy options.

C19Science.info: covers the lack of genuine Science behind our COVID-19 policies.

Election-Integrity.info: multiple major reports on the election integrity issue.

Media Balance Newsletter: a free, twice-a-month newsletter that covers what the mainstream media does not do, on issues from COVID to climate, elections to education, renewables to religion, etc. Here are the Newsletter’s 2023 Archives. Please send me an email to get your free copy. When emailing me, please make sure to include your full name and the state where you live. (Of course, you can cancel the Media Balance Newsletter at any time – but why would you?

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