Can Elections Become Civil Again?
It’s an interesting question. As we approach the nation's 250th birthday, the cornerstone for our nation's democratic republic has been the practice of orderly succession following elections. This is not to say we did not have contested and controversial elections. According to Fairvote.org the following is a list of contested and controversial elections in U.S. history.
1800: Thomas Jefferson v. John Adams
1824: John Quincy Adams v. Andrew Jackson
1836: Martin Van Buren v. Richard Johnson
1872: Horace Greeley v. Ulysses S. Grant
1876: Samuel Tilden v. Rutherford B. Hayes
1888: Benjamin Harrison v. Grover Cleveland
2000: Al Gore v. George W. Bush
2016: Hillary Clinton v. Donald Trump
The list begins during the presidential election between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. In the 1800 rematch, things got nasty between Adams and Jefferson. At one point in that race, Jefferson’s supporter, notorious pamphleteer James Calendar, claimed that Adams was a hermaphrodite, while Adams’ people said Jefferson would openly promote prostitution, incest, and adultery. That 1800 race ended in a tie fueled by deeply partisan tactics and more plotting by Adams, Hamilton, Jefferson, and Burr. Jefferson was chosen over Burr in the House runoff election after Hamilton decided to support the man he once strongly opposed..
As you can see, controversial elections in the United States are not new. Nonetheless, the 2020 and 2024 elections involved some new approaches in challenging the election outcomes by claiming election fraud. The statements made by Donald Trump in questioning the integrity of the election process in 2020 became the model for some of his supporters who came up short in their own elections. The dynamic of publicly questioning voting integrity flipped in 2024 when Donald Trump won the election over Kamala Harris. Take a look at recent polling from Reuters/Ipsos. When asked whether Trump’s win was legitimate, about 94% of voters said it was. This includes 64% who agreed that Trump’s win was legitimate and supported his presidency and another 30% who accepted Trump’s victory but indicated that they would oppose his presidency.
It is interesting to note that, according to Stateline, election denialism still had some staying power, even after Trump’s election victory. In Wisconsin, Republican U.S. Senate challenger Eric Hovde spread an unsubstantiated statement about “last-minute” absentee ballots in Milwaukee that he said flipped the outcome of the race. The Milwaukee Election Commission disputed his claims, saying they “lack any merit.” Though he conceded to incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin nearly two weeks after the election, his rhetoric helped stoke a spike in online conspiracy theories, as reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In North Carolina, Republican State Senate leader Phil Berger told reporters last week he feared that the vote-counting process for a State Supreme Court seat was rigged for Democrats. Karen Brinson Bell, the head of the State Board of Elections, criticized Berger for his comments, saying they could inspire violence.
And in Arizona, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, who has spent two years disputing her defeat in the 2022 governor’s race, hasn’t acknowledged her 2024 Senate loss. While she thanked her supporters in a video posted to the social media platform X, she stopped short of conceding to Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego.
The actions by Eric Hovde, Phil Berger and Kari Lake warrant a red flag for missing the opportunity to promote unity. As reported in Reuters, Liz Ulmer stated “The election denial movement has been evolving and shapeshifting in an effort to stay relevant.” A senior vice president at States United Action, a state’s election watchdog group, added, “the movement has held onto power and influence.”
Yet, despite these examples, post election civility is not completely lost. The 2025 La Crosse Mayoral election was competitive, yet civil. Shaundel Washington-Spivey defeated city council president, Chris Kahlow by only 451 votes, out of more than 17,500 cast. Nonetheless, Chris Kahlow was polite and respectful in her concession message. “I have spoken to Shaundel and congratulated him on becoming the next Mayor of La Crosse. All of us who care so deeply about this wonderful City wish him the best in his new role.
I am so proud of the campaign we ran. l am so grateful to all of my supporters. Thank you for all your hard work and energy. It kept me going each and every day. The election results do not alter my commitment to public service. I have served on the City Council since 2019. I will continue to serve on the Council.
I fell in love with La Crosse when I went to College here: the natural beauty, the vibrant neighborhoods, and most of all the people. This is home to me. My dedication to serving the people of La Crosse will never waver. I look forward to continuing to serve and to working, together, to move our City forward. Thank you again for your support and thank you to each and every one of you, for your dedication to a better, brighter future.”
Washington-Spivey started his term as mayor on April 15th and will serve as La Crosse's mayor until April in 2029. He becomes La Crosse's first Black mayor, as well as the first openly LGBTQ+ mayor in the city's history.
The 2025 election for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court should also be noted. According to Brennan, it was the most expensive state judicial election in the nation’s history. Both campaigns blanketed the airwaves with negative ads. For a supposedly nonpartisan election, the race was ugly. Despite the negative ads and name calling, Brad Schimel's concession speech was very respectful. In fact, during his remarks, when some of his supporters shouted claims of cheating, Schimel responded by saying, "No, no. You've go to respect the results." You can view his speech here on YouTube.
The concession statements made by Chris Kahlow and Brad Schimel reflected the importance of an orderly and respectful succession...a return to the long-standing practice. Both have earned a green light for promoting unity rather than ongoing divisiveness. For good or bad, elected leaders are role models. It is encouraging to see good role models in practice.
