Election integrity should not be treated as a partisan eccentricity. Every republic depends on citizens believing that rules are known in advance, enforced consistently, and open to public scrutiny.
The right standard is simple: make voting accessible, make verification serious, and make ballot handling transparent enough that losing candidates cannot credibly blame a black box.
A healthy country can debate policy after elections. It cannot keep debating whether the process itself deserves confidence.
This article is labeled as opinion. AI assistance status: not used in drafting. Publication requires human editorial review.