The damage Donald Trump is wreaking on America's elections system and public confidence in the government is coming into fuller view. A new poll shows that fewer than half of Americans have great confidence that their vote will be counted accurately. This distrust didn't start with Trump, but the Republican presidential nominee has fanned the flames of cynicism. Americans have every reason to have confidence in the elections, in the security and integrity of the vote and in the legitimacy of the winner.The findings, released last week by the nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization PRRI, paint a broad picture of the state of the nation, from concerns over security and trade to American attitudes on politics, leadership and the direction of the country. Less than half of respondents (43 percent) have great confidence that their vote will be counted accurately. There is a sharp partisan divide among likely voters, with 70 percent of those supporting Hillary Clinton having confidence in the accuracy of the balloting compared to only 41 percent of those backing Trump.The poll also revealed sharp divides over what constitutes the major problem in U.S. elections. Among all Americans, 41 percent said the worst flaw was denying eligible voters the right to cast a ballot, compared to 37 percent who cited voter fraud. That slim difference in opinion is worrying enough, given that states have long histories in suppressing the vote, chiefly among minorities, even as studies have shown that voter fraud is rare. But two-thirds of Republicans say voter fraud is a bigger problem, compared to only 19 percent of Democrats. The numbers are reversed on voter suppression, which 62 percent of Democrats cite as the top flaw, compared to only 17 percent of Republicans.Many states still have a way to go in bringing more people into the electoral process. And Florida is a prime example of how poorly designed ballots, legal challenges and other disputes can escalate into partisan causes and sap public faith in the election process.But Florida has worked hard to overcome the problems that shrouded the 2000 election. In a recent column published in the Tampa Bay Times, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer outlined the steps he and his colleagues across the state take to ensure the ballots are safe and accurately counted. Pinellas Supervisor Deborah Clark issued a similar call for confidence. It is important for the public to hear the facts and learn how elections are actually run — especially in the important swing area of Tampa Bay and in the vital swing state of Florida. Voters need to get out and participate. It would be foolish to allow wild claims about fraud to suppress the vote.
