As we all know, in the wake of the 2020, then President Donald Trump reacted to his electoral loss by declaring the results of the election illegitimate and rigged. More so, the election claims were made based on a self-invented yet unproven conspiracy of widespread election fraud.

We first witnessed the Trump administration seeking to overturn the election through legal means by taking matters to court. Unsurprisingly enough, when the option was exhausted after every case was thrown out, the Trump administration looked to overturn the election by simply pressuring members of the GOP to act in bad faith of the electoral process in an attempt to change the outcome.

There is unarguable evidence supporting the claim too such as Attorney General William Barr and the Georgia Secretary of State used in the time of Trump asking Mike Pence to reject the certification of electoral votes.

Ultimately, the Trump administration was blocked for the following reasons:

1. Officials with the “power” (theoretical power) to change the outcome chose NOT to act in accordance with the wants of Trump.

2. Republicans and those who supported the election fraud conspiracy theories did not have enough of the majority in Congress. They also didn’t have the evidence to back their claims.

One little bit that people may be unaware of is that Trump was not stopped by any LEGAL mechanisms within the government’s operating framework. He was stopped because there weren’t enough people willing to work with him and go along with his plan. Since his time, the idea that an election could be overturned for various reasons does not seem unlikely. After people analyze the events following January 6th, people are becoming more aware of the reality that there are many loopholes that can be utilized to if not outright overturn elections.

The results of the election however weren’t even controversial. According to many voters, they were no different than the other elections during their time of voting. The thing that is controversial, however, is the idea that one of the most powerful parties in America seems to believe that we shouldn’t work under a functioning Democracy.

If a state refuses to use its popular vote to appoint electors, then it is up to the citizens of said state to show them it won’t fly. I’ve once heard a couple of labor unions discuss having a general strike if the 2020 results weren’t honored and genuinely, I expect more general strikes. One little hot take is that the Republicans, at this point, need to suck it up and accept the loss.

However, besides the rant, I want to give readers some questions to digest and think about. For one, what legal and procedural mechanisms exist within our government’s framework that would stop a losing candidate in a Presidential election from even seeking to overturn the election? Currently, things such as phony electors in Congress exist and so does the idea of refusing to certify electoral votes, throwing out votes, etc.

Secondly, if there are no legal or procedural mechanisms that would prevent this, is the only informal means of preventing this simply the will of other elected officials in power?

Lastly, should an election be overturned, and a losing Presidential candidate installed into power via these mentioned methods, what ramifications would this have on the rest of society and any political discourse?