Preserving the Consent of the Governed: Election Integrity and Legitimacy

Christian college professors Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Part 1 (starts at 3:43): Headlines - Covid-19 has led many states to expand absentee or mail-in voting in advance of the general election this November. We talk about how to preserve the integrity of the election and assure its legitimacy in the midst of our ongoing health crisis. Links: National Review report on the Wisconsin primary; AP report on President Trump’s position; Adam Laxalt on the Nevada law at Real Clear Politics; Public Interest Legal Foundation on the Nevada June primary; Ari Fleischer on voting by mail at Fox News; New York Post report on judge’s ruling concerning the Brooklyn primary; Fox News report on total number of NYC ballots invalidated; AP article on North Carolina election fraud; New York Times articles on North Carolina election fraud; Heritage Foundation election fraud database; Deroy Murdock at Fox News on election fraud; Trump tweet on postponing the election; AP reports Trump unwilling to commit to election result; Nancy Pelosi and Biden campaign comment on Trump leaving the White House; Transition Integrity Project study; New York Times and Byron York reports on the Transition Integrity Project study.        

Part 2 (35:48): Required Reading - Professor Corbin assigns Abraham Lincoln’s November 10, 1864 “Response to a Serenade” to discuss the importance of elections and the pathway of political magnanimity.

Part 3 (42:49): Open the Grade Book - With schools starting soon, we propose and discuss our own animal-based grading scales. 

Part 4 (52:47): Tocqueville's Crystal Ball - Our NHL predictions weren’t great last week so we are back to politics, asking whether Ilhan Omar’s primary challenger has any chance for an upset. 

Opening and closing music is from the beginning of "Happy Life" by Ryan Andersen from his 2018 album, Americana volume 1. Available here. Licensed by Creative Commons.

Matt Parks is an Associate Professor of Politics at The King’s College in New York City. David Corbin is a Professor of Politics and the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Providence Christian College in Pasadena, California. All views expressed in this podcast are their own.