Vague questions on Fort Worth election integrity only erode trust, but that’s the point
When a conspiracy theory is just loose talk, whether in person or online, it’s mostly harmless.
When it’s used to collect information from gullible people and feed distrust where there’s no evidence it’s necessary, it’s a problem.
A small but persistent murmur is hinting at the possibility of fraud or other malfeasance in Tarrant County’s spring elections for cities and other local governments. An unidentified actor sent postcards urging voters to “verify” that their ballots were cast and counted by turning over information at the site verifymyvoting.com.
The site briefly disappeared when county leaders said they had no association with it and warned the public against turning over personal information. It’s back, with a disclaimer that it uses data obtained from the Tarrant County Elections Office and won’t reveal the contents of a voter’s ballot. But those behind it still decline to identify themselves, other than as a “group of Fort Worth private citizens.”
If anyone has evidence of a specific problem with the May 1 election or June 5 runoffs, he or she has yet to raise it. The losing candidates, even in close races, haven’t complained — with one exception. By all accounts, the process was smooth despite unusually large turnout for local elections.
Some will argue there’s nothing wrong with vigilance, that being on guard against fraud in voting or ballot-counting is always appropriate. It’s the logic behind the push by Gov. Greg Abbott and others for a new “election integrity” law. A certain level of cautiousness is fine, but these vague hints of some problem raise distrust among voters with little justification.
One of the few public figures to step forward and identify with the effort is Steve Penate, the real estate broker and pastor who finished fourth in the first round of voting for Fort Worth mayor. In a Facebook video, Penate touts the importance of electoral integrity and vouches for those behind the Verify My Voting site.
But the only evidence he offers is that more voters turned out for the June 5 runoff than the initial election. He’s right that that’s unusual, but the Fort Worth mayor contest in particular, an open race for the first time in a decade, drew nationwide attention. Several council districts also went to runoffs that drove voter energy as well.
Penate, who did not respond to requests for comment, says in the video that he’s asked for a hand recount and audit of the results. Under state law, according to elections officials, recounts can only be requested by a candidate who was within 10 percent of winning or making a runoff. Penate, who ran as a social-conservative outsider, fell short.
As for an audit, do we really want the embarrassment of, say, Arizona, where people have searched through ballots and equipment looking for bamboo as a sign of Chinese interference (and yes, that really happened)?
After some initial confusion when Tarrant County switched to new machines that allow voters to cast ballots at any polling place, Tarrant County has had several smooth election cycles, even amid the high turnout of the 2020 presidential election.
County elections administrator Heider Garcia notes that his office’s work is overseen at several levels.
“There are plenty of checks and balances,” he said. “It’s not a one-person office. We have 38 career professionals who handle elections. There’s oversight from the secretary of state.”
He added that a ballot board made up of citizens of all political stripes also monitors the process and makes decisions such as whether voters’ signatures on mailed ballots match their applications.
Garcia said that any voter who wants to confirm their ballot was counted can call the elections office at 817-831-8683. Workers can’t tell who anyone voted for, but they can verify ballots cast and counted. He also invited voters for a tour of the office to see how processes work.
“We have an open-door policy, come on in,” Garcia said.
That’s much more transparency than we’re getting from whoever is behind verifymyvoting.com.
We’ve said before, but it bears repeating: Voter fraud is real. Mail ballots in particular, often through the tactic of “harvesting,” are susceptible, and they should be closely scrutinized. And incompetence like the botched tallying of votes in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary only fuels suspicion that results can’t be trusted.
But it’s poisonous to raise the specter of a tainted election every time we vote. Too many Americans already think their side gets jobbed every time they lose.
If no one has a legitimate complaint about the Tarrant elections — and a month later, none has been lodged — let’s move on to governing and making the next round of balloting more accessible and secure.
