Protecting the election process is everyone’s responsibility.
PRAY FIRST that Christians will be examples of achieving goals by acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with the Lord (Malachi 6:8).
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17).
An article published in The Washington Examiner says, “Voters see ‘cheating’ everywhere, 54 percent expect it in 2024 election.”
According to the FBI, crimes in federal elections occur in three broad categories: campaign finance crimes, voter/ballot fraud, and civil rights violations. Voter/ballot fraud occurs when a voter intentionally provides false information when registering; a voter receives money or something of value for voting a certain way; someone votes more than once; or an election official corrupts the process by allowing in unqualified ballots.
The Rasmussen/Hartland poll found 17 percent admitting to casting a ballot in a state where they no longer resided (also illegal), and 21 percent of mail-in voters said they filled out a ballot for someone else without their permission. A smaller number, 8 percent admitted to being offered “pay” or a “reward” for a particular vote.
In a statement, the Heartland president said, “These survey results conclusively illustrate that election fraud is a rampant and pervasive problem that undermines our democracy.”
Data compiled by the Heritage Foundation’s Election Fraud Database sampled proven instances of federal election fraud across the country. They found 1,474 proven instances, 1,271 criminal convictions, 48 civil penalties, 113 diversion programs, 25 judicial findings, and 17 official findings. Such numbers fall well below the 20 percent admission from the Rasmussen/Heartland polling.
A June 2023 article published by NBC News said, “Almost a third of Americans still believe the 2020 election result was fraudulent,” according to a Monmouth poll. Alternatively, 59 percent said the election was “fair and square.”
A report from the Brennan Foundation in November 2022 declared, “Extensive research reveals that fraud is very rare. Yet repeated, false allegations of fraud can make it harder for millions of eligible Americans to participate in elections.”
The 2020 presidential election was made more complicated by mandates that surrounded the COVID-19 pandemic. States expanded widely their offer for mail-in balloting over in-person voting. Some states, such as California, sent a mail-in ballot to every registered voter, although, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, the number of registered voters who generally turn out to vote, the percentage of those who actually participate in voting is low. Eighty-four percent of Californians say people who are eligible to vote don’t always.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 26 states do not require signature verification on absentee (mail-in) ballots.
Another poll by Rasmussen Reports in June 2023 said “52 percent of likely voters believe cheating affected the 2022 midterm elections, and a majority, 54 percent, believe cheating will “affect the outcome” of the 2024 election.
The umbrella that extends over election cheating is broad, and voter/ballot issues are but one of the different things it includes.
In October 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Division announced that they are working with local U.S. attorneys and the FBI to “ensure that complaints from the public involving possible election fraud are handled appropriately,” including for issues such as “vote-buying, multiple voting, submission of fraudulent ballots or registrations,” and more.
They also encouraged “anyone with information regarding concerns in these subject areas to contact the appropriate authorities.”
Protecting the right to vote and securing the transparency of the process is everybody’s business in America’s system of government.
An article in Christians Engaged said, “The democratic process is a stewardship that God has entrusted to the citizens. … It is essential to civil order and justice. … Civil leaders matter to God, justice matters to God, and God desires us to exercise our civil responsibility. … If Christian citizens neglect their duty to ensure that elections are conducted fairly, justly, and according to the rule of law, then they can expect corruption, incompetence, waste and oppression in government.”
HOW THEN SHOULD WE PRAY:
— Pray to be encouraged to maintain a clear and honest testimony in all your efforts to do justice. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, including with the many, so as to pervert justice (Exodus 23.2).
— Pray that election laws will be upheld. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted (Habakkuk 1:4).
— Pray for courage to report election wrongdoing when you see it. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them (Ephesians 5:11).
CONSIDER THESE ITEMS FOR PRAYER:
- Pray for Christians as they evaluate their responsibilities as citizens and lift the nation up God.
- Pray for those election officials as they work to maintain election databases and voter registration.
- For election officials as they prepare to ensure integrity in the coming election.
Sources: Boston University, AllSides.com, FBI, Heritage.org, NBC News, Brennan Center, American Thinker, Public Policy Institute of California, Washington Examiner, Justice.gov, National Conference of State Legislatures
