LETTER: Blame Trump for public mistrust in elections

A letter to the editor contends that former President Donald Trump bears primary responsibility for the erosion of public confidence in U.S. elections. The writer responds to the publication’s July 21 editorial, acknowledging that concerns about election security exist but arguing that they are far more perceived than real. The letter asserts that the Review‑Journal has overlooked the central cause of declining trust: Trump’s repeated, unfounded allegations of fraud. According to the letter, Trump’s ego prevents him from accepting that he could have lost the 2000 election, prompting him to double down on what the author calls the “Big Lie theory”—the notion that repeating a claim often enough will make people believe it. The writer notes that despite a recount in Georgia and an audit described as a “clown show” in Arizona, no evidence of systemic fraud has emerged, and only isolated irregularities have been identified. The letter questions how widespread fraud could have occurred without a single individual coming forward to expose it, stating that there is no proof of any organized voting fraud. The letter also addresses a claim by Review‑Journal columnist Victor Joecks, who suggested that signatures on ballots could be forged. Joecks conducted an experiment in which a valid signature was copied repeatedly; however, the letter argues that the likelihood of a random signature matching a specific voter’s without prior copying is exceedingly low. While the writer agrees that certain practices, such as ballot harvesting, merit tighter oversight, they maintain that the genuine source of election distrust stems solely from Trump’s actions. The letter concludes by accusing the Review‑Journal of failing to hold the former president accountable for his role in undermining faith in the electoral process.