Note, the following is specific to North Carolina, but serves as an example. A winning Congressional candidate named Reverend Mark Harris was forced to vacate his win, when it was discovered he hired an operative to collect mail-in votes and toss those in opposition. Sadly, Harris has won the Republican primary in 2024.
To support his run for North Carolina Attorney General, US Representative Dan Bishop recently drew attention to Reverend Mark Harris being asked to forfeit a Congressional win in 2018 by a “Democrat majority” State Board of Elections over what Bishop called “some fairly minor illegal ballot harvesting.”
We should not forget that Reverend Harris’ own son testified that he warned his father about the illegal tactics being employed on his behalf by a political operative. And the “Democrat majority” board that rescinded Harris’ 2018 win did so by a unanimous vote, not just the Democrats.
I am tired of candidates purposefully sowing seeds of doubt, as Bishop did. They want voters to have less confidence in the election process. Sadly, people believe these stories. Harris was wrong and it cost him. So is Bishop. *
* I am certain Rev. Mark Harris is perturbed with Rep. Dan Bishop for raising this issue. The Reverend probably did not want to remind voters that he cheated before, hoping they would forget counting on short memories.
I sent a variation of this post and it was printed in the Letters to the Editor this morning in the largest newspaper in North Carolina.
musingsofanoldfart 
Keith, you have duct and weaved long enough, the fact is the American political scene is corrupt. Joe or Donald, there is little difference, they both manipulate the truth, they are both self serving and the American people will suffer.
Keith, it is time the whole Democratic system needs review, you want to lead the world? Then lead it in the right way.
Jon, corruption permeates every system, including ours. Too much money to get elected and do things.
When I shared with a British missionary in Africa what I read were the biggest problems facing the world, he said simply “corruption” is the biggest global problem. He noted money sent to help people rarely gets intact to the intended. It goes in the pocket of the leaders and bureaucrats.
So, yes democracy needs to be improved, but so does every other system of government. Money, land, possessions, and power have always influenced. Full stop.
Keith
Note to Readers: I don’t know what bothers me most about this story. A reverend who knowingly cheated to win, winning a primary again six years later or a Congressman running for the State Attorney General purposefully lying about why the reverend’s first win was overturned. Both are terribly wrong and emblematic of the former president’s modus operandi. Cheating and lying.
We need to avoid voting for people like this. If we want to trust our politicians more, vote for more trustworthy people. That is how the math equation works. I do not mind people being more conservative or liberal than me, but what I do mind is politicians who live in the land of lying. By the way, the former president was booed and jeered by a Libertarian audience last night.
PS – I met the reverend once as he stood 200 feet away from my early voting site in 2018. I shared with him it is hard for me to reconcile a man of the cloth supporting Donald Trump. Reading later about his Trump-like cheating, it is easier to understand.