North Central College in the News
North Central College political science professor pens op-ed in Naperville Sun
Nov 10, 2020
Dr. Sean Kim Butorac pens column on Trump’s corruption cries and racism within voting
Dr. Sean Kim Butorac, assistant professor of political science at North Central College, penned an op-ed in the Naperville Sun the day following the projected winner being called of the 2020 Presidential Election. The column, published Sunday, November 8, focused on President Donald Trump’s corruption cries and the battle to stop counting votes, which was rooted in racism.
Here is an excerpt from his op-ed:
President Trump has engaged in false claims of voter fraud, campaigned to enlist polling site monitors, and refused to denounce white supremacy.
Now, as the election turns in Biden’s favor, Trump is making baseless claims of fraud to preemptively declare victory and threatening legal action against states counting legitimate ballots.
While Trump’s statements and actions threaten the future of our electoral system, these attacks are not unprecedented. Conservatives have been undermining elections by suppressing the Black vote for more than 150 years. This is only their latest campaign.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that voting by mail will produce “fraud like you’ve never seen.” By any credible academic standard, the president’s statements on voter fraud are false and misleading. Nonpartisan studies have demonstrated that the risk of voter fraud is between .0003 - .0025 percent, or by other measures, even lower. Voting by mail is among the most secure and rigorous means of ensuring free and fair elections.