The vote. Perhaps the most important pillar of democracy. And yet it is under threat as Americans right and left argue over the methods and results of the 2020 election. The loser in this debate is our trust in our voting system. To answer my own questions about this topic, I participated in two online events, one hosted by the League of Women Voters Minnesota in March 2021, the other by the University of Minnesota in April 2022.

The first event concerned the security, accuracy and fairness of the 2020 presidential vote in Minnesota. A panel of election judges, administrators, security and voting machine experts, election auditors and others described the details that lead to safe, secure and fair elections in Minnesota. Every year. These people were Republicans, Democrats and others who set aside their political preferences to uphold the election process. I learned that in Minnesota election tampering is impossible.

The second event was held in April 2022. It consisted of four panels of election administrators, educators, lawyers and journalists from around the country. From this event I learned about the National Association of Secretaries of State, a group of elected officials from both parties, most of whom serve as the chief election official in their state. During the 2020 election they worked together to be sure the elections were free and fair. I came away with greater confidence in our national elections process.

I believe our political leaders need to take a step back from partisanship and get to know their local and state election officials. They would learn that the process works and that we should continue to have confidence in it. Maybe they would stop promoting lies about stolen elections and voter fraud.

Carol Burns

Duluth