5 Ways to Steal an Election
5 Ways to Steal an Election
Prolong a War
The 1968 US presidential election between Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon was held during the increasingly unpopular Vietnam War.
Prolong a War
Humphrey, a major proponent of ending the war, trailed Nixon much of the campaign but saw a surge in the polls right before the election...
Prolong a War
...after President Johnson agreed to Humphrey's call to halt bombing and brought North and South Vietnam together for peace talks.
Prolong a War
But Nixon's campaign encouraged the South Vietnamese to end negotiations, telling them that they were "going to get sold out..."
Prolong a War
The, the day before the election, the US's South Vietnamese allies withdrew from the talks, paving the way for Nixon's victory and 5 more years of war.
Prolong a War
5 Ways to Steal an Election
October Surprise
In American politics, an "October surprise" refers to a major news event deliberately created in the month before an election to influence its outcome.
October Surprise
The most famous October surprise conspiracy theory involves the 1980 US Presidential election between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan...
October Surprise
A major issue of the election was the release of 52 Americans being held hostage in Iran since 1979.
October Surprise
Trailing in the polls, the Carter administration was thought to be planning an October surprise by securing the release of the hostages.
October Surprise
In response, the Reagan campaign supposedly made a deal with Iran to hold the hostages until after the election in exchange for weapons.
October Surprise
Reagan won the election and Iran released the hostages a mere 20 minutes after he concluded his inaugural address...
October Surprise
5 Ways to Steal an Election
Make Up the Results
When you have complete control over the government, you can simply hold elections and make up the results...
Make Up the Results
...like former North Korean President Kim Jong Il who ensured that he always earned over 99% of the vote by running unopposed.
Make Up the Results
Some authoritarian leaders are more "realistic," like Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko who admitted to rigging his election in 2006...
Make Up the Results
...claiming the his popularity was so vast that the true margin of victory was unbelievable and had to be lowered to be "accepted psychologically."
Make Up the Results
Fake results moved into the information age in October 2003 when Azerbaijan's official election app sent out results one day before voting began...
Make Up the Results
...which showed longtime president Ilham Aliyev, known for intimidating journalists and suppressing opposition, winning in a landslide.
Make Up the Results
5 Ways to Steal an Election
Own the Machines
As elections increasingly make use of electronic voting machines, closer scrutiny has been put on the political connections of their manufacturers.
Own the Machines
Much suspicion has fallen on former voting machine manufacturer Diebold whose executives held deep ties to the US Republican party...
Own the Machines
...and routinely donated large amounts of money to Republican candidates like George W. Bush...
Own the Machines
...something that may have eased certification process of the machines despite known flaws like an unchangeable master password.
Own the Machines
Perhaps most damning was a statement made by Diebold CEO Walden O'Dell in 2003...
Own the Machines
...who pledged his commitment to helping President Bush win reelection by "helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the President."
Own the Machines
5 Ways to Steal an Election
Have Political Connections
If you're George W. Bush, how do you lose the popular vote to Al Gore in the 2000 US presidential election...
Have Political Connections
...but still become President?
Have Political Connections
It helps to have a co-chair of your election efforts as Secretary of State in the deciding state of Florida and your brother at the Governor...
Have Political Connections
...along with a US Supreme Court led by conservative members of your own political party.
Have Political Connections
But did they conspire to give George W. Bush the US Presidency in 2000?
Have Political Connections
Alltime Conspiracies - Bush vs Gore: Stealing The US Election
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