CHAUTAUQUA – Let’s begin where we began a May 2021 column on this subject.

The 2020 presidential election is over.

There’s no changing the result.

So the point of reviewing 2020 presidential-election illegalities isn’t to change the result but to prevent their recurrence, regardless of whom or which political party they’d benefit.

Some in government or in the press pretend to respond to this by denying such illegalities changed the result. But whether they changed the result is now beyond the point. Any such denial is now, at best, a distraction.

Nevertheless, carefully and fairly restoring the rule of law to American elections requires fully reviewing such illegalities, regardless of whether they changed the result.

And regardless of whether they changed the result, they (1) were extensive and (2) appear to have overwhelmingly benefitted one side.

Denying either (1) or (2) – such as by calling either a “lie,” as some in government or in the press do – is now, at best, another distraction.

Particularly – but not only – when the denials are so frequent and fervent that the deniers, to borrow a phrase, may well “protest too much.”

Which brings us to Dr. John Droz, the July 26 guest of Advocates for Balance at Chautauqua, or ABC.

ABC was formed in 2018. Its mission is “to achieve a balance of speakers in a mutually civil and respectful environment consistent with the historic mission of Chautauqua” Institution. ABC is its own Section 501(c)(3) organization, legally separate from the institution.

ABC agrees that the point of reviewing 2020 presidential-election illegalities isn’t to change the result but to prevent their recurrence.

At https://election-integrity.info, Droz and others have compiled many such illegalities and challenges to them.

Please see for yourself when you have sufficient time to digest what’s there.

Droz said most challenges weren’t decided on the merits, and President Trump won most challenges decided on the merits.

Droz, a physicist, has a good scientist’s ability to make his points patiently and not be distracted by silly attempts to refute his points.

Among audience members at ABC are non-ABC members who disagree with ABC speakers and aren’t, well, polite about it. ABC obviously welcomes dissent, yet such audience members’ “questions” of speakers can be amusing:

¯ Droz suggested to one such audience member that she vote at her polling place rather than by mail. The audience member, who comes all the way from New Jersey to Chautauqua for the summer, said she’s unable to get to her polling place.

¯ Another such audience member said ABC should have debates. One wonders whether he suggests that at Chautauqua fora where he agrees with speakers.

¯ A few such audience members distorted points Droz made and then asked him questions based on strawmen. Without losing his cool, Droz calmly called out each strawman.

One familiar saying regarding facts and law is: When you have the facts on your side, argue the facts. When you have the law on your side, argue the law. When you have neither, pound the table.

Droz doesn’t – and doesn’t need to – pound the table.

He observes that “purposeful inaccuracies” in presidential elections are most likely to occur in swing states.

That’s where “purposeful inaccuracies” are more likely to affect the result.

And he points out that some respond to assertions of 2020 presidential-election illegalities by saying there’s no evidence of widespread fraud. Yet Droz notes that fraud needn’t be widespread to affect the result.

Nevertheless, Droz says that in the 2020 presidential election, swing-state Nevada had 130,000 unique instances of voter fraud. And Droz adds that 130,000 is 10 percent of the popular votes cast in a state that President Trump, according to official results, lost by 33,000 popular votes.

Droz said Nevada has neither asked for his data nor prosecuted anyone for voter fraud.

He urges conducting meaningful audits in, among other places, Nevada.

Without meaningful audits, it’s highly likely we’ll be victims of bad actors in the future, he said.

Dr. Randy Elf’s Aug. 20, 2020, ABC presentation is at https://works.bepress.com/elf/21.

COPYRIGHT ç 2021 BY RANDY ELF.