The shameful chaos of America's elections

How many allegations of fraud can the system endure before voters lose all confidence in their government?

Voting chaos.
(Image credit: Illustrated | ImagePixel/iStock, Kseniya_Milner/iStock)

Is America, the world's oldest democracy, capable of pulling off a half-way competent election?

You'd be forgiven for wondering. Nearly a week has passed since the midterm elections, yet an unsettling number of high-profile contests — in Georgia, Florida, and Arizona, for example — remained unresolved through the weekend. Allegations of fraud and demands for recounts, once a rarity, now seem to be the norm. And in the background, we have the president repeatedly shouting on Twitter about elections being "stolen."

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.