Still, said Marc Racicot, a former governor of Montana who once led the Republican National

Committee, no election is perfect because there “is a certain margin of humanity to be expected
that doesn’t amount to fraud.”

Well-intentioned election officials, he said, should be permitted to do their jobs without fear of
attacks.

“I think it’s really important for the people of individual states across the country to understand
that if they’re going to maintain confidence in their government and their republic and their
systems, which I think are critical to us these days, that you have to begin with a presumption of
good faith,” he said.

ʻA Perfect Stormʼ
The 2000 presidential election recount, with its televised images of hapless county officials in
Florida squinting at ballots to discern voter intent, was the debacle that launched a thousand
fixes.

The race between George W. Bush and Al Gore, ultimately decided by the Supreme Court,
exposed the fragility of a system that Americans had previously taken for granted.

Suzanne Gunzburger, right, and an observer inspecting a ballot in Broward County, Fla.,
after the 2000 presidential election. Rhona Wise/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images