Calling Elections Rigged Is Bad Politics and Worse Civics

The goal of a political campaign is to generate as much enthusiasm as possible among as many voters as possible for casting a ballot for your candidate. In recent years, we have seen a sharp increase in a peculiar strategy for accomplishing this: Politicians tell their voters that an election is rigged and that, regardless of who gets the most votes, the opposing party is going to try to steal it.

Republicans relitigate the 2020 Election and condition confidence in November’s results solely on passing the SAVE America Act’s proof-of-citizenship and voter-ID requirements. Democrats warn their side that the other will “cheat,” “rig the rules,” and “steal the election.” The bet seems to be that outraged partisans will surge to the polls with a righteous fury, but that bet is a bad one. If anything, the tactic not only corrodes the public’s faith in the institution that gives elected officials their power, but also discourages turnout by telling voters that their votes don’t matter.

We both help Republicans win elections for a living. Over and over again, we see that talking to people about their priorities and taking their concerns seriously works. Telling them the game is rigged makes them feel powerless, so they tune out and find something better to do with their time.

Nobody builds a business they expect to fail. Nobody gives money to a candidate they know will lose. People do give money when they believe their contribution could be decisive. The same logic applies to the ballot box. The rigged-election message gives people a reason to stay home that feels righteous rather than lazy.