The NYT yesterday outlined the possibility of a scenario of the election outcome being appealed on grounds of voter fraud:
Political Memo - McCain’s Warning About Voter Frau
Senator John McCain warned at the last presidential debate that the Nov. 4 election could be marred by voter fraud and added that Acorn, an organizing group in minority and low-income communities, was “now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy.”
I commented a little on this last week: Pew warns 'perfect storm' on election day could complicate vote count.
Time has outlined 7 Things That Could Go Wrong on Election Day.
While being tempted to continue to scorn the electoral mechanisms that make that a possibility (and factors that Time outlines need addressing as a matter of urgency even if they do not undermine this election), I must move to a greater concern.
I fear the ugliness of an election where the result is open to contest on several grounds. The racist undertones, the blatant islamophobia, the terror-mongering that are alive in the conservative blogosphere will be unlikely to avoid being inflamed in such a situation. It will take enormous retraint and leaders of quality on either side to restrain the passion and allegations that have marked the campaign fanning those red hot embers into a destructive fire that could destroy the social fabric of a great nation.
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