EDITORIAL: North Carolina’s election mulligan

Early in the week, election officials in Florida surmised that upwards of 6,000 mail-in ballots from 65 of the state’s 67 counties had not been counted on Election Day due to a clerical error.

Had not three of the states most prominent races ended in runoff, we might have never known, and it might not have mattered.

But slim margins define the times as much as anything else, especially when it comes to elections. And it’s more true than ever that every vote counts — unless, of course, it doesn’t get counted.

Meanwhile, in North Carolina, conservatives have been so concerned about voter fraud as to post a voter referendum amending the state constitution — one of six on this year’s ballot — requiring photo ID to vote.

But when faced with an actual instance of fraud — the 9^th Congressional District, where hinky dealings with absentee ballots seem to have affected results in at least one county — they’re not quite as gung ho.

As of press time, with mounting evidence of wholesale fraud in the election, NC GOP Chair Dallas Woodhouse is just beginning to come around to the idea of a new election.

Yes, there is a difference between voter fraud — which is perpetrated by individuals, one at a time — and election fraud, which insinuated that the entire process is jacked.

We should all be outraged at any instances of either, though realistically speaking, only one of the techniques has the scope to affect an outcome.

But let’s get back to the fix: a new election. A new election.

Like a mediocre golfer who spent too many hours in the clubhouse before tee time, we’re going to have to take a mulligan.

At this point, someone’s going to have to explain to the voters of our state why we should have any confidence in any of our elections, in any of our counties. We’ve already demonstrated an inability to draw fair districts — the Congressional districts we just voted on were deemed illegal by federal judges — and a willingness to disenfranchise whole swaths of voters, sometimes, ironically, by accusing them of fraud.