[S] As a small counterweight to the administration and GOP’s ongoing efforts to crumble our democracy to dust through baseless claims of fraud, I offer what I witnessed as an Inside Poll Observer in Virginia.

During the early voting period and on Election Day I was posted throughout the state. Some jurisdictions were Dem strongholds, others GOP. They all had somewhat different procedures, but all shared one thing in common:

None of the Election Chiefs were particularly glad to see me. Not because they were “up to anything,” or because they were afraid their operations would not be up to snuff. Quite the opposite.

Each of them and their crews were highly competent, well-trained, and wholly committed to following the rules and procedures to the letter, thereby allowing every qualified voter to cast their ballot.

So it stands to reason they didn’t want some nosy observer getting in their way and gunking up their operations. Of course each day I earned their trust, mostly by not getting underfoot. And through it all I reached a comforting conclusion:

The gears of democracy can be downright BORING, thanks to the hard work and commitment of those in charge of elections at the local level. Here’s hoping their offices will not be subjected to tampering in the future.

Because one by one we’ve seen the institutions that guard the integrity of our system of governance weaken. The presidency. The senate. The judiciary. Our civil service. The later two are now riddled with unqualified, malign, and venal apparatchiks.

But for now, Thank You to the dedicated people who went above and beyond to conduct as “normal” an election as could be hoped for, given the circumstances. And here’s hoping for even more boring elections in the future. [End]