Nothing says democracy like this

So now they need the National Guard carefully staged away from ballot drop boxes, because apparently even the optics are too honest now. You can feel the panic in stories like this one because the real rule is simple: the public is supposed to trust the process, just never actually see too much of it. When a system gets this obsessed with managing appearances, it usually means legitimacy is being treated like a branding exercise.

Topic du jour | Fighting the good fight