I Help Run Elections in My Pennsylvania County. The Right Is Being Lied To. | NYT Opinion

The United States is closer than ever to achieving the dream it’s been chasing since 1776: an inclusive democracy that lives up to the promise of one person, one vote. But since 2020, election deniers have sought to undermine America’s collective voice with lies about the security of our elections. In the Opinion Video above, Neil Makhija — who will help oversee elections in his county in the battleground state of Pennsylvania — argues that our votes have never been safer or more secure. In fact, someone is more likely to be struck by lightning than to impersonate someone else at a polling site.

But we can’t afford to be complacent. “To protect democracy, we can’t just play defense,” Makhija cautions. “We need to go on offense to expand voting rights and voting access.”
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[jayski]

I've run polling places in 2 different states (Washington & California) and never came across any fraud. There are just too many checks & balances built into the system. So when friends or acquaintances want to tell me about stolen elections, I tell them to just take the time to work a polling place in your own county. You'll see for yourself how much care is taken to keep things accurate and honest.

[richardg]

They WANT to be lied to. They INSIST on being lied to but they get angry when you tell them this.

[citylumberjack]

I help run elections in MY Pennsylvania county too. And the voting is secure. And correct. And the deliberate attempt to undermine confidence in our government - elections, the justice system, federal agencies, etc - is the foundational building block of fascism.

[slovokia]

The problem is deeper than counting votes - it is about whether facts matter and whether it is even possible to come to a mutually held understanding of what is true. For some people attaining and holding power is more important than fidelity to the truth.

[f.demascio]

This information needs to be widely broadcast on every channel.
As an Election Official myself, it is infuriating that so many people question elections but believe in space lasers starting CA wildfires or weather controlling by one party to run part of our own country,
We work HARD to protect every step of the election process,

[joefrommontana]

Best case scenario, if our democracy survives the next few weeks, we’ll be like post-WW2 Germany where almost everyone denies they ever followed Trump.

[LazloVimes]

Im sorry, but i must respectfully disagree. I dont think ‘the right is being lied to’, instead i believe there is a willfull ignorance and refusal to accept reality.

Just a small difference but an important difference. At some point these insane people must take resposibility for their actions.

[garrybrown]

Thank you, Mr. Makhija, for your calm, rational explanation of the security of our election process. And thank you for your work to understand and teach. GREAT visuals!!!

[ymbfbxd]

The NYT has a lot to answer for, but credit where credit is due. This video was informative, inspirational and brilliantly produced. 💯

[Hmy]

A giant and genuine THANK YOU for this video. This is the video/information the country has needed for a very long time. And thanks to the voice of this video for doing what you do💙
Country, people, and equality OVER party association and political games. Always.

[rgarlinyc]

Thank you immensely Neil Makhija - first for this excellent summary and insight into our voting processes, and next for your work, with your colleagues, to ensure the integrity of our elections. We need more people just like you. 👏🏻

[broheim]

First and foremost: my thanks to the NYT for producing this piece and Neil Makhija for not only running for office and winning, but putting the time in to narrate this inspiring video. Seriously, this is EXCELLENT!
Secondly (but no less important): my SINCERE thanks to Molly Crabapple for the artistry. I can't tell you how much more I enjoy the hand-painted illustrations than some AI-generated tripe. It may not be noticed by many, but art produced by a human's hands has an addition that AI-generated "art" never will: soul.

[stankimer]

Thank you for your service to our country. This is such an important message.

[days_like_these]

Thank you for telling your story and the truth. I'm so exhausted with the voter fraud BS and MAGA culture wars. Maybe DeSantis could have focused on ensuring Florida citizens had insurance instead of fighting Mickey Mouse and banning books.

[eric]

*Our voices are not equal nor are our votes. Not as long as the swing states get all the attention.*
ELECTORAL COLLEGE MUST GO THE WAY OF THE DINOSAURS!
Your State and mine and hers and his and theirs MUST agree to send Electoral Delegates based on the proportion of the vote that is won by each candidate. One President gets elected to office. One truly national office. Shouldn't ALL of our votes count equally?

[fed-yum]

What an extraordinarily mesmerizing presentation. Wow!

[ReddoFreddo]

I appreciate the effort, but this video is not going to convince a single MAGA Republican

[LisaS-do]

I'm from Kentucky, so to thin out my friends list, i just post videos of Trump getting caught in his lies and stunts. Some will leave me.

[coldyummysugarfoods]

I'm sick of MAGA's lies about our elections.

[gabrielpierce]

too bad the people that need to hear this here in PA will never listen to it.