Ask most people if they believe in fairness, and I suspect they’d say yes. Should deals be fair and square? Yes. Games and sporting events? Yes. Justice? Yes. Elections? Yes.
And what recourse does one have when such things aren’t fair? Referees, instant replay, courts, higher courts – even the court of public opinion.
Since elections and election integrity are back on the front burner, I’ve been thinking about them in that context of fairness. I don’t think I’m alone in this – but to me, it’s very simple. Yes – I want my preferred candidates and stances to prevail.
Of course, I like to win, but the reason I (and most people, I assume) vote the way we do on candidates and ballot issues is because we believe those people and policies will best reflect and represent our own ideas and preferences. They will do a better job or, in some ways, improve our communities.
I like to win, and I want to win, but I can live with losing if I know it happens fair and square. If my candidate or my issue just didn’t garner sufficient support, that’s the way the cookie crumbles, and I can accept that and move on.
But what do we do when we no longer feel confident that we lost fair and square? How do we fix that? To whom do we appeal?
This “Moore to the Point” commentary aired on NewsTalkSTL on Wednesday, August 16th. Audio included below.