By Leon Panetta and Dan Coats
For generations, U.S. elections have been the most powerful tool in our diplomatic arsenal, providing a democratic model for fledgling republics on nearly every continent.
Throughout the 20th century, as nations broke the shackles of tyranny, forged resolution from revolution, and rebuilt in the wake of world war, they looked to the United States as a beacon of stability, integrity, and resilience. Our great experiment has withstood the test of time, weathering countless storms, and now, we once again find our institutions tested as those striving for freedom around the world watch intently.
We have just held elections amid a once-in-a-century pandemic, partisan rancor, and persistent foreign interference. Despite these challenges, a record number of voters made their voices heard — an estimated 160 million, which is also a higher share of eligible voters than in any year since 1900.
One of us served as President Trump’s director of national intelligence. The other served as President Barack Obama’s secretary of defense. We have both devoted our lives to protecting our democracy, and we’ve seen firsthand how fragile it can be. The linchpin holding it together is legitimacy: a shared acceptance that representatives are freely and fairly elected. We are urging everyone, from government officials to the general public, to reinforce that legitimacy today.
Our democracy is under assault by rogue actors — both domestic opportunists and foreign powers — trying to sow doubt about the integrity of this election. The intelligence reports have been unequivocal: Foreign adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran have tried to interfere in our electoral process. These authoritarian regimes hope to provoke infighting and political violence because it makes for a compelling state media broadcast.
Armed with seductive conspiracy theories, these forces have worked to turn neighbor against neighbor and citizen against country. Today, we can be sure they will take advantage of any and every uncertainty. If we allow doubts to swirl about the integrity of our elections, the winners will not be Republicans or Democrats, one candidate or the other. The only winners will be Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Ali Khamenei, and those despots who seek to dismantle and destroy the democratic order.
Let’s set the record straight. For months, we’ve known that a decisive result on Election Day would be unlikely. More than 65 million people voted by mail this year, shattering every record on the books. For generations, absentee voting has been used by those serving our country overseas. It’s safe, it’s verifiable, and it’s been used successfully since the Civil War. One of us — Secretary Leon Panetta — cast his first vote by mail while serving in the Army in 1964.
Our political leaders should not fan the flames of division as this process is completed. Nor should any patriotic American have any interest in unnecessarily slowing down or obstructing the counting of every vote, as the law requires. A scorched-earth campaign either to discredit the process or to stifle it would be catastrophic, a pyrrhic approach that could ruin our country’s most sacred institutions, and would undermine our standing as a beacon of democracy worldwide.
The democratic contract goes two ways: Voters cast their ballots and accept the result, but only if they are confident there was no undue interference. Trust is what holds this arrangement together, and it’s the responsibility of our leaders to protect that trust.
As the final votes are counted, we must remain calm, stay focused, and refuse to succumb to the forces of misinformation. We owe it not only to ourselves and our children but also to all those abroad who wait with bated breath, wondering if there’s hope for democracy in their own country.
Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency and as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California. Former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats served as a Republican U.S. senator from Indiana. Both are members of the bipartisan National Council on Election Integrity.
