Local officials across the country make the system work

The recent election process, which seemed to prove that the only fraud or irregularity was sitting behind a desk in the Oval Office, pointed out clearly that there are many who should be recognized as heroes in our democratic system, just by doing their jobs in the face of swirling controversy, headlines and accusations. Here are a few of them:

In all of the states, elections are under the supervision of the secretary of state, and this year’s election pointed out how important they are and how seriously they take their jobs. Here in New Hampshire, longtime Secretary William M. Gardner and his experienced staff adapted, educated, communicated and succeeded in having a very successful election with a record turnout of over 72% of the voting age population, the second or third highest in the nation. The careful neutrality of the secretary of state’s office could have been lost to partisan maneuvering forever.

One other notable secretary of state is Georgia’s Brad Raffensperger, who, notwithstanding being a Republican and supporter of President Trump, scrupulously held to the standard of objectivity and accuracy in counting all votes, conducting a hand recount (and now a machine recount), consistently stating that his job was not to help a candidate win but to determine whom the voters picked. He was steady in the face of baseless accusations from in and out of the state and calls for his resignation.

Local election officials all across the country make the system work. Town Moderator Bill Klein in Bedford is an example of the many dedicated officials who made the 2020 election work, was creative, and suggested many ideas on how to deal with a record number of absentee ballots and record turnout. City clerks in New Hampshire cities had monumental challenges — and met them. Hundreds of volunteers stepped up to make sure the system worked and the people could be heard in the face of potential personal danger.

In Michigan and elsewhere, officials whose task is to routinely certify election results, normally a formality, found themselves in the middle of controversy, as Trump supporters urged them not to do their jobs, or went to court to keep them from doing their jobs.

The Michigan Canvassing Board, previously unknown to almost everyone, faced great pressure but did its job, voting 3-0, with one abstention, to certify President-elect Biden’s victory. Since he received over 150,000 more votes than President Trump, this should not have been a big deal, but it was.

Judges across the country also did their jobs, which is to apply the law to the facts before them, and rejected futile attempts by the president’s campaign to disrupt the functioning of the electoral system.

Those who expect judges to rule one way or another because of what party they were registered in prior to becoming judges, or because of who appointed them, miss the fact that the vast majority of judges follow their oaths and do their jobs.

One example of note was Federal District Court Judge Matthew Brann, a Republican appointee, if that matters, who rejected an attempt to disenfranchise 7 million voters, and took the president’s attorneys to task for filing pleadings unsupported by facts or law.

Following the decisions in Michigan and Pennsylvania, and apparent results in Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada, the dam seemed to break, and business leaders and many GOP officials finally demanded recognition of the Biden victory. The General Services Administration recognized it and offered the transition aid required by law. Not exactly gutsy heroes, but better late than never.

In making his initial appointments to office, the president-elect delighted many in New Hampshire by naming two people with New Hampshire ties to office.

For White House counsel, Biden named Bedford native Dana Remus. Remus, with about as impressive a resume as can be imagined — having been graduated from St. Paul’s School, Harvard College and Yale Law School, and having clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court — has worked for Biden’s campaign as counsel and prior to that for the Obama administration. Those who know Dana Remus not only were proud of this appointment but also saluted its quality.

Biden also named Jake Sullivan of Portsmouth, a fellow at the Carsey School at UNH Dartmouth College, as his national security advisor. Sullivan worked for the Obama White House as an assistant national security official, and, at age 43, is one of the youngest such officials in history. Sullivan, who is married to attorney and UNH Law School adjunct professor Maggie Goodlander, a lawyer and granddaughter of legendary Nashua developer Sam Tamposi, stands ready to join Remus as one of our New Hampshire heroes.

Everyone should recognize and thank these heroes who have and will serve us well.

Brad Cook is a Manchester attorney. The views expressed in this column are his own. He can be reached at bradfordcook01@gmail.com.