How Political Parties Rig Elections: Strategies And Secrets

Political parties play a critical role in campaigning for their candidates, and the methods they use to reach voters have evolved over time. While there is no recent evidence of rigging, there are various ways in which political parties can influence election outcomes. One way is to create a system that favours a particular candidate or type of candidate, such as through gerrymandering, where district boundaries are drawn to concentrate supporters or dilute opposition votes. Another method is to steal votes, which has a long history in American elections. Additionally, political parties can employ strategies to counter critics, promote positive narratives, and leverage party identification to influence voters' decisions.

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Gerrymandering: Drawing district lines to favour one party

Gerrymandering is the process of drawing district lines to favour one political party over another. This is done by strategically grouping or dividing voters in a way that benefits one party. For example, district boundaries can be drawn to group all supporters of a particular party into one district, creating a safe district that will elect a candidate from that party. Alternatively, district lines can be drawn to divide neighbourhoods with a high number of opposing party members, diluting their votes across multiple districts.

Gerrymandering is a tactic used by incumbents, who are politicians seeking re-election. Incumbents have several advantages over challengers, including a more organised staff and greater resources. They also have the power to influence the redistricting process, which occurs every ten years following the national census. By drawing district lines in their favour, incumbents can improve their chances of re-election.

While gerrymandering can be a powerful tool for political parties, it is not the only way they try to influence election results. Political parties play a critical role in campaigning and use various strategies to promote their candidates. This includes reaching out to voters, spreading positive messages about their candidate, and criticising opposing candidates. Parties also rely on financial contributions to fund their campaigns, and billionaires and corporations have been known to use their wealth to influence elections and further their interests.

In addition to financial contributions, political parties also engage in \"soft money\" contributions, which are funds that cannot be used for expressed advocacy for a particular candidate but can be spent on registering and mobilizing voters. However, critics argue that soft money can still influence elections, as it can be closely coordinated with political campaigns. The heavy involvement of money in politics, especially from wealthy individuals and corporations, can drown out the voices of regular voters and lead to a system that favours the interests of the wealthy over the general public.

Voter Intimidation: Using tactics to discourage certain groups from voting

Voter intimidation is a tactic used to suppress votes by threatening, coercing, or interfering with a person's right to vote for their chosen candidate. Voter intimidation is a felony in all states, and it undermines the principles of democracy. It involves using tactics to discourage certain groups from voting and can take many forms, including:

• Physically blocking polling places or election offices.
• Using threatening language or brandishing weapons near a polling place.
• Yelling at or verbally harassing individuals while they are in line to vote.
• Following voters into parking lots, interrogating them, and recording their license plates.
• Deploying misleading or confusing ballots, or tampering with voting machines.

The history of voting in America is rife with examples of voter suppression and intimidation. For instance, by 1940, voter suppression campaigns had successfully prevented all but 3% of eligible African Americans in the South from registering to vote. To combat voter intimidation, individuals can report incidents to poll workers, election supervisors, state boards of elections, or law enforcement. Federal laws such as the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 have been enacted to protect voters from intimidation, threats, and coercion.

While there was little evidence of widespread rigging in the 2016 election, it is important to recognize that rigging an election can take various forms. One way is through the theft of votes, which has a long history in American elections. Another way is by creating a system that favors a particular candidate or party, such as through the allocation of electors or the influence of political parties in campaigning.

Vote Buying: Trading money or gifts for votes

Vote buying, also known as electoral clientelism and patronage politics, is the act of a political party or candidate distributing money or resources to a voter with the expectation that the voter will cast their vote for the actor providing the monetary reward. Vote buying can take various forms, including monetary exchange or an exchange for necessary goods or services. Vote buying is often used to incentivise or persuade voters to turn out to elections and vote for a particular candidate. This practice is illegal in many countries, including the United States, Argentina, Mexico, Kenya, Brazil, and Nigeria, but it still occurs worldwide.

The history of vote buying can be traced back to the 18th century in England, where rich aristocrats spent large sums of money to win elections. One famous example is the "Spendthrift election" in Northamptonshire in 1768, where three earls each spent over £100,000 on their favoured candidates. In the mid- to late 19th century in the United States, members of competing political parties openly or secretly bought and sold votes.

Vote buying can create a dependency for voters on the income or goods they receive in exchange for their votes, leading to a form of a poverty trap. This can result in voters becoming reliant on the rewards provided by the candidate or political party, with no guarantee of improved living standards. Additionally, vote buying can be seen as a form of electoral fraud or bribery, as it undermines the principle of democracy, where citizenship and voting rights are considered inalienable and not for sale.

The effectiveness of vote buying depends on the targeted voters. Some scholars argue that neutral voters are less susceptible to vote buying, as they could vote either way. Instead, voters with lower income status are seen as more likely to be receptive to monetary compensation, as a small payment could be enough to buy their votes. However, evidence from Argentina and Nigeria suggests that voters with higher income status may also be targeted by offering higher prices for their votes.

Vote buying is a complex issue that has evolved over time, and it continues to be a concern in modern elections, despite legal measures in place to prevent it.

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Disinformation: Spreading false information to influence voters

Disinformation is a powerful tool used to influence voters and sway their opinions. It involves spreading false or misleading information to manipulate public opinion and ultimately affect the outcome of an election. Political parties and candidates recognize the impact of disinformation and have employed various strategies to reach voters and spread their message.

One common tactic is to utilize party identification to attract voters. Voters who strongly identify with a particular political party are more likely to engage in political activities, such as voting, volunteering, and donating to campaigns. They may vote for a candidate based solely on party affiliation without fully understanding the candidate's stance on specific issues. Political parties exploit this tendency by emphasizing party loyalty and promoting candidates who adhere to the party's agenda.

Additionally, political parties have been known to coordinate with independent groups to disseminate disinformation. These groups, often referred to as "social welfare" organizations, contribute substantial amounts of ""soft money"" to election campaigns without disclosing their donors. They claim to operate independently, but in reality, their activities are closely aligned with political campaigns. This allows political parties to indirectly influence voters through these seemingly independent sources, spreading disinformation while maintaining plausible deniability.

Furthermore, political parties have been accused of exploiting issues that evoke strong emotional responses from voters. For example, billionaires and corporations have been criticized for using their wealth to influence political campaigns, particularly regarding tax policies. By focusing on issues like taxes, Social Security, and carbon taxes, they can sway voters' opinions and gain support for their preferred candidates.

In recent years, the use of disinformation has become even more sophisticated with the involvement of foreign entities. For instance, during the 2016 presidential election, Russian hackers were found to have promoted accusations of a "rigged" election to aggravate divisions between political parties and foster distrust in the democratic process. This demonstrates how disinformation can be used as a tool to influence public perception and undermine faith in the electoral system.

To counter the spread of disinformation, various measures have been implemented. Elections are now closely monitored, and voter rolls are more up-to-date, making it challenging to steal votes. Additionally, laws mandating mandatory recounts in close elections and providing for optional recounts if issues are suspected help ensure the accuracy of results. While these measures aim to mitigate the impact of disinformation, political parties continue to adapt their strategies, making the battle against disinformation an ongoing challenge.

Ballot Interference: Tampering with ballots or voting machines

Ballot interference is a form of electoral fraud that can take many forms, including tampering with ballots and voting machines.

Tampering with Ballots

Tampering with ballots can involve confusing or misleading ballot design, ballot stuffing, mis-recording votes, destroying ballots, and voter impersonation. For example, in New Jersey, county clerks—who are elected partisan officials—are allowed to design ballots in a way that advantages party-backed candidates. This can include structuring the ballots around the party line, using confusing layouts, or including phantom candidates to create an overwhelming number of choices. These tactics can make it difficult for voters to make informed choices and may lead them to default to official-looking options or select an entire column, often the official party line, rather than individual candidates.

Tampering with Voting Machines

Tampering with voting machines can involve physical manipulation or hacking. Mechanical lever machines, punch card voting systems, and direct recording electronic (DRE) machines have all been used in US elections. DREs, which allow voters to record their selections directly into computer memory, have been criticized for their potential security vulnerabilities and lack of a paper trail for verification. However, the use of electronic voting machines can also facilitate the counting process and reduce clerical errors.

To enhance the security of voting machines, election security experts recommend the use of paper ballots, either hand-marked or prepared by ballot marking devices (BMDs), which are then verified by the voter before casting. These paper ballots can be scanned and tabulated by machines, providing a chain of evidence to ensure the correctness of the count.

In summary, ballot interference through tampering with ballots or voting machines is a serious issue that can impact the integrity of elections. While measures such as mandatory recounts and legal teams are in place to mitigate these issues, it is crucial to continuously improve voting systems and address vulnerabilities to ensure fair and secure elections.

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