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This is the last weekend before the 2026 midterm elections. Most people have made up their minds already. Nevertheless, I'll use this platform to express a few opinions about some recent controversies in an effort to urge people to think critically -- logically and morally -- and to vote for the candidates who have the nation's best interest in their hearts and minds. While it's true that most people vote from their purses or wallets, I'd like to believe there is some idealism at play here. That there is an understanding of and belief in the Constitution, and a recognition of the importance of candidates’ character -- of their sense of decency and integrity.
There shouldn't be a debate over election security. Everyone agrees that citizens need to be legally registered in order to vote. Yet the controversy remains, despite overwhelming evidence that voter fraud is extremely rare. According to the American Bar Association, "Of the more than 25 million votes cast in six swing states in the 2020 election, an analysis by the Associated Press found fewer than 475 potential voter fraud cases, and even those cases were unconfirmed." Add to that the 59 local and federal courts who threw out alleged election fraud cases after the 2020 election.
Most importantly, we need to respect and appreciate those real people who work at the election sites. These are good, honest, everyday Americans performing a civic duty. They are democrats and republicans alike who, by and large, believe in free and fair elections. Hence, voter fraud should be a non-issue.
The controversy over the names of the candidates in the Alaskan Senate race is problematic. Allegedly, the campaign strategists for democrat candidate Mary Pelota concocted a scheme meant to confuse voters by bribing a man to enter the race who has a similar name as the republican candidate, incumbent Dan Sullivan. (This is a dirty trick used by both parties in the past.) Now Attorney General Todd Blanche, at the behest of his client/President, is proactively filing a lawsuit aiming to prevent the certification of the winner of that race if the incumbent Sullivan loses.
Obviously, the Democrats engaged slimy, dishonest and possibly illegal campaigning, and they should apologize to Alaska and the nation. However, the potential effects of such a ploy seem so inconsequential, and to litigate would be terribly insulting to the intelligence of the Alaskan voters. Are they really so stupid, so illiterate and brain-frozen that they can't read names? Don't know what incumbent means? That an S is no different than a J? Or that Daniel has six letters, Dan, three?
It is my view that the current President has surrounded himself with some highly capable men. No doubt Todd Blanche is a savvy lawyer -- an off-the-charts manipulator of the language of the law. The level of Elon Musk's business intelligence is perhaps only exceeded by the wealth he has accumulated. J.D. Vance is an incredible story-teller. Marco Rubio performs like a one-armed wall-paperer. As for Steven Miller, I can only imagine. Perhaps he's the comedian among them, or does impressions of animals, like a wolverine or anteater.
I can't help but think that these intelligent people, down deep, harbor a smug and cynical attitude regarding the general public. In their private bubbles, they espouse the views of philosophers who regard the common man as stupid, brutish, fickle-minded, and mostly irrelevant. They do not respect the opinions of Joe Shmoe. As the kings of their respective hills, they feel entitled to make all the decisions, including ones that undermine our most precious freedoms. Sadly, it has become increasingly evident that the current President is above the law.
I'm hoping for new leaders who will be transparent and accountable. Who are young-spirited and committed to the American ideals as prescribed in the Constitution. And who are willing to revert to civil discourse and bipartisanship in lieu of bloated bombast and crass character assasination. Anything less would allow the current government corruption to continue to flourish.
In this election, voters should not forget about the Epstein conspiracy. In my life, the only thing that even came close to this level of big government cover up was the assassination of JFK. I shudder to think that, 60 years from now, the American people will still be kept in the dark regarding heinous abuse of power against innocent girls.
I'm hoping voters will use their heads and their hearts on Tuesday. One outcome of this election might be that the government of, by, and for the people will survive. The other might signal the end of the American experiment, proof that common people are easily bribed, bought and bamboozled.
Pete Howard, author of “Rosebud Dreamworld,” lives in Dunkirk.