From the Lawton Constitution By James Finck, Ph.D. On Dec. 12, 1889, former President Grover Cleveland addressed the Boston Merchants’ Association. Despite winning the popular vote, Cleveland had lost reelection a year earlier and he believed, at least in part, that voter fraud and political manipulation contributed to his defeat. It wasn’t that the election … Continue reading Trusting in elections from Grover Cleveland to today
Tag: elections
The evolution of voting and election integrity
From the Lawton Constitution By James Finck, Ph.D. Apr 9, 2026 With all the legislation about voter integrity, it seems worthwhile to look at voting practices over the years to see how past generations tackled the issue of fair elections. What we find is that both voting technology and the systems used to ensure election … Continue reading The evolution of voting and election integrity
Open primary voting and ending party choice? Not here.
From Southwest Ledger Next year, Oklahomans will have the opportunity to go to the polls and basically decide if the Republican Party will still be allowed to choose its own candidates for state elections. While this is being touted as closed versus open primary elections, it is more complicated than that.As the U.S. Supreme Court … Continue reading Open primary voting and ending party choice? Not here.
Jan. 6 marks first time since 2000 that Democrats have not challenged Republican victory in Electoral College
From Southwest Ledger January 6, 2025, was an important day as a joint Congress confirmed the electoral votes certifying that Donald Trump was indeed the newly elected President of the United States. Much was made this year of the difference between this meeting and the one four years ago where protesters stormed the Capitol to … Continue reading Jan. 6 marks first time since 2000 that Democrats have not challenged Republican victory in Electoral College
Constitution 101: Senate Composition and Vacancy Clauses
From Southwest Ledger Section III of Article I of the Constitution is all about the Senate. When reading the original Section III before modern amendments, right away one might notice some differences in the Senate today from when the Founders created it, and I have found that most Americans are surprised. Article I, Section III, … Continue reading Constitution 101: Senate Composition and Vacancy Clauses
Tyranny of the Majority
From Southwest Ledger Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has announced that State Question 832 will be included on the June 16, 2026, ballot. This will be a difficult question for Oklahomans as, if passed, it will raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2029. Proponents for the initiative argue that wages have fallen … Continue reading Tyranny of the Majority
Trump, Harrison and Presidential Do-Overs
From Southwest Ledger It’s not often in life that we get a do-over, and in politics it’s even rarer. Most of the time, once a candidate is associated with defeat, they are never considered for office again. What is even rarer is a president losing reelection and getting a second shot. In fact, that has … Continue reading Trump, Harrison and Presidential Do-Overs
Constitutional Amendments That Impacted Our Election Day
From Southwest Ledger As Americans gather at the polls this week to choose our next president it may look a bit different than it has in the past. For good or bad, early voting and mail-in voting has become much more common, meaning the lines may be shorter. But at what cost? I have previously … Continue reading Constitutional Amendments That Impacted Our Election Day
Executive v. Executive: A Parallel in American Presidential Elections
From Southwest Ledger As a political historian, I was disappointed when Joe Biden backed out of the presidential race. I say that for no other reason than it’s been a rare occurrence in history where we have had two presidents battle it out. However, while it would have given me plenty to write about, a … Continue reading Executive v. Executive: A Parallel in American Presidential Elections
Scrutinizing Primaries: Political History is Cyclical, Evolutionary
From Southwest Ledger I read something online the other day that said, “not to brag but I have won as many primary votes as Kamala Harris.” At first it made me chuckle, but then it made me think. My first thought was “how many times has a candidate run for president without winning a single … Continue reading Scrutinizing Primaries: Political History is Cyclical, Evolutionary
Historically Speaking 