In 2016, the declared will of the people conflicted with the prevailing media narrative that Republican nominee Donald Trump had no chance to beat Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Almost immediately, prominent Democrats, including Ms. Clinton, began to spread a now-debunked narrative that Trump “stole” the election with the help of Russia. And so entered a new era of political tactics, questioning the results of elections.
Donald Trump continued this tradition with his infamous election denial of 2020, leading to the internationally humiliating Jan. 6 riot. Even in 2025, pundits cast doubt on the integrity of our elections, where, as recently as August 2025, commentator Joy Reid expressed doubt to Gov. Wes Moore that the U.S. would “ever have free and fair elections again.”
Now, a scandal involving former Maryland resident and Baltimore City Schools employee Ian Roberts has brought the issue home to Maryland. Reports revealed that the alleged fraudster, who does not have legal status to be in the United States, was registered to vote in Maryland. Election integrity activists immediately pounced, sounding the alarm on the trustworthiness of our elections.
These narratives have a profound impact on voter confidence in our elections. States United Democracy Center, a think tank focusing on elections and democracy, published a report indicating that by March 2025, only 45% of Democrats were very confident their vote would be counted correctly, down from 66% prior to the 2024 election. By contrast, Republicans saw a 25 percentage point increase in election confidence after getting the outcome they desired with the decisive reelection of President Trump.
The rational mind observes an existential threat to democracy. Voters on both sides of the aisle lack unshakeable confidence in our most fundamental civic institution. Without this confidence, Americans may be more easily lured to alternative and more destructive methods of civic expression, namely, political violence. The United States will not survive widespread voter disenfranchisement.
Maryland officials must handle voter confidence in our elections the way that a parent handles a child afraid of a monster lurking under the bed. Turn on the lights. Officials should embrace common-sense controls around elections, such as voter identification and routine evaluation of voter rolls. Officials at all levels should evaluate polls surrounding elections and work to ensure that both sides feel confident that their votes will count, regardless of outcome.
Here in Maryland, it really doesn’t help that, amidst an embarrassing example of potential voter fraud, we also have a governor who has gone on record with his intention to disenfranchise every registered Republican in the state, by intentionally manipulating congressional maps to remove the one Republican congressman in Maryland.
There may be no evidence of widespread voter fraud. But there’s plenty of evidence that people in positions of power are more than willing to manipulate elections to serve their political purposes. And that doesn’t leave a lot of room for confidence that our elections should be free of scrutiny. The solution is very simple. Turn on the lights.
Torrey Snow is a columnist and editorial board contributor at The Baltimore Sun; he can be reached at tsnow@baltsun.com.
