Rather than grappling with the danger of voter fraud, today instead we face the political use of its myth to undermine democracy.
The Brennan Center for Justice is clear on voter fraud in the United States: “[Every] legitimate study ever done on the question shows that voting by noncitizens in state and federal elections is vanishingly rare.” I love that use of the word “vanishingly.” Math people might call this a horizontal asymptote, a line a curve approaches but never meaningfully reaches.
Like that horizontal asymptote, the gap between the fear of voter fraud and its actual occurrence is something the numbers make plain — if you’re shown the numbers. As the Brennan Center puts it, “we must be careful not to undermine free and fair access to the ballot in the name of preventing phantom voter fraud.”
Some would say this delegitimizing of elections is the goal, not the undesired by-product. In an era of increasing authoritarianism in the United States, citizens should recognize that manufacturing doubt about elections is intended to determine winners. This fear isn’t just a misunderstanding of math; for some, it is a deliberate tool of control. As Joseph Stalin is purported to have said, “The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.”
It’s important to count votes, but in an era of manufactured doubt, it is equally vital to count the bodies in the streets.
Sunday, The Guardian newspaper reported “More than 8 million people showed up across 3,300 No Kings protests on Saturday, calling for an end to the war in Iran, immigration agents in their communities and what they see as Trump’s creeping authoritarianism. Organizers say it’s the greatest number of protests in a single day in US history.”
My family and I were happy to have participated in No Kings 3 this past Saturday, but I think we might have also thrown off the official count.
Vacationing in the North Bay this past weekend, we followed a path towards a steady crescendo of dissent. We began Saturday morning in Bodega Bay, where a small, salt-aired rally felt intimate against the vast, quiet backdrop of the coast and along the busy State Route 1. As we moved inland from the coast, the energy began to thicken. In Petaluma, the mood was a communal hum, a few thousand of us marching past the Singing Resistance singers in front of Copperfield’s Books, and then gathering in Walnut Park like a massive, purposeful picnic.
By the time we reached Santa Rosa, the trickle had become a flood. We joined 12,000 marchers, and the atmosphere shifted from peaceful and determined to electric. The quiet determination of the coast was gone, replaced by a younger, louder, and more exuberant roar that filled Old Courthouse Square. The square vibrated as new waves of marchers arrived to diversify the energy.
At similar protests that I’ve attended in Davis, Woodland, and Sacramento, I’ve encountered many friends. So much hugging! I found myself scanning faces, looking for familiar ones, but finding none. Even without friends around me, I felt that I belonged.
While I would never engage in voter fraud, I might be guilty of protester head count fraud. Instead of counting as four people and a dog, we somehow became twelve people and three dogs. Perhaps an executive order is in order.
One woman standing on a platform wearing an anti-MAGA shirt saw me marching hand in hand with my disabled son Jukie. Jukie’s shirt reminded everyone that BLACK LIVES MATTER, while mine said “Make Racism Wrong Again.”
After we walked by, she called out to me:
“Hey you! Hey Dad!”
When I turned around, she said,
“I see you and your son! We appreciate you!”
Squeezing Jukie’s hand, I smiled to her and to Kate.
The cooler temperatures may keep some folks inside today, but the heartiest of us will gather outside for some pub quiz fun. Expect 31 questions on a variety of topics you should know something about, this week with questions on waterways. Today’s pub quiz comes in at a hefty 1008 words.
In addition to topics raised above and below, expect questions tonight on the following: ages in weeks, airports, American novels, amplifications, band names, California cities, chiefs, classic films, contemporary poets, dancers, emotions, European politics, experimental cinema, forgeries, geniuses, glasses, global cities, governors, Greek culture, indie bands, legislative math, marine biology, Mexican geography, mythical creatures, New York cities, opinion polls, poetic terms, political satires, punk rockers, quarterbacks, rodeos, sitcoms, surprise endings, tortillas, vitamins, war comedies, well-heeled tourists, wits, world capitals, U.S. states, geography, current events, and Shakespeare.
For more Pub Quiz fun, please subscribe via Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/yourquizmaster.
Thanks to all the new players joining us at the live quizzes and to all the patrons who have been enjoying fresh Pub Quiz content. Certain friends have upgraded their memberships recently, which I really appreciate.
We are now past 100 Patreon members now, including people who have upgraded their paid memberships! You know who you are, and I salute you! I also incidentally salute Cathy, Christine, Bobby, Esther, James, Damian, Jim, and Meebles! Thanks also to new subscribers Prescott, Bill and Diane, Tamara, Megan, Michael, Janet, Jasmine, Joey, Carly, The X-Ennial Falcons, and The Nevergiveruppers! Every week I check the Patreon to see if there is someone new to thank. Maybe next week it will be you! I also thank The Original Vincibles, Summer Brains, Still Here for the Shakesbeer, The Outside Agitators, John Poirier’s team Quizimodo, Gena Harper, the conversationally entertaining dinner companions and bakers of marvelous and healthy treats, The Mavens. Hello to Bill and to Jude’s dad. Thanks in particular to my paid subscribers on Substack. Thanks to everyone who supports the Pub Quiz on Patreon. I would love to add your name or that of your team to the list of pub quiz boosters. Also, I sometimes remember to add an extra hint on Patreon. I appreciate your backing this pub quiz project of mine!
I also want to recognize those who visit my Substack the most often, including Michael (thanks Michael!), Luna, Jean, Ron, Myrna, Maria, to whom I send sustained compassion.
Best,
Dr. Andy
Questions from last week:
Countries of the World. Argentina is named after what metal?
Science. What is the name of the fluid that lubricates joints?
Books and Authors. Dorothea Brooke searched for purpose in what George Eliot novel published in 1871 and 1872?