Thread by @gathara

Must say, US media is treading a dangerous path. Like in Kenya, problems in the US electoral system shouldn't be ignored in an effort to impose legitimacy rather than earn it. There's need to audit it, not just tell those who doubt its efficacy to shut up.
ft.com/content/3d9c42…

https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1353345810327625728

The whole point of elections is legitimacy. When a significant portion of the electorate is convinced they've been stolen (regardless of how true that actually is), then to that extent, the system has failed and there should be a serious effort undertaken to address the failure.

In Kenya, we always see authorities (and media) insisting that those who question electoral outcomes and claim fraud are just sore losers. And it keeps us from fixing problems, keeping government fragile, deepens distrust in the system, and opens the door to violent alternatives.

I think the purpose of elections, in Kenya or the US, is not just to procure winners (presidents and such), but, perhaps more importantly, to ensure that those who lose accept it. To the extent that millions don't, whether or not one thinks they are misled, there is a problem.

Whether one accepts Biden's win or not shouldn't be a barrier to recognizing issues with the electoral system that may need fixing (including those that demagogues could exploit to create distrust) like gerrymandering, voter suppression, lack of common roll and uniform processes.