Jonathan D. Simon

Jonathan D. Simon, author of CODE RED: Computerized Elections and the War on American Democracy, is a cofounder and currently executive director of Election Defense Alliance, a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to restore observable vote counting and electoral integrity as the foundation of US democracy.

Trump Doesn’t “Condone” Saudi State-Sponsored Murder, He Hugs It

While our presidents, from F.D.R. through G.W. Bush and Obama, held their noses while making deals with the world’s devils, Donald Trump breathes deep and seems to revel in such affinities.

Jonathan D. Simon
By Jonathan D. Simon
Donald Trump | Mohammed bin Salman

WASHINGTON -- (Opinion) You’ve got to hand it to Donald Trump: when the U.S. president kisses up to murderers, he lays his reasons right out there for us. The rulers of Saudi Arabia, most notably Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, shall go without so much as a wrist slap from the world’s most powerful and influential country because oil prices might

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Normalizing Guns: Trump and the NRA See Opportunity in Tragedy

It’s been lurking around for awhile now — this peculiar calculus that the more people who are shot, the more guns we need. It’s a great business model if you’re in the business of guns, or if your re-election depends on the outfits and people who are in the business of guns.

Jonathan D. Simon
By Jonathan D. Simon
President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association Leadership Conference, April 28, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP/Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON (Opinion) -- My first thought, upon hearing that President Donald Trump was calling for the arming of “specially trained” teachers as the answer to mass shootings in our nation’s schools, was . . . “Is he fucking kidding?!” Apparently I was not alone, as pundits, comment boards, and social media absolutely exploded with disbelief, anger,

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Election 2017: What an Honestly Counted US Election Might Look Like

Election 2017’s results speak volumes about the truth of our country and are worth real celebration. But anyone who draws the conclusion, based on those results, that 2018 and 2020 won’t be rigged is someone I’d love to see across a poker table.

Jonathan D. Simon
By Jonathan D. Simon
New Jersey gubernatorial nominee Phil Murphy is seen as balloons drop during his election night victory party at the Asbury Park Convention Hall, Nov. 7, 2017, in Asbury Park, N.J. (AP/Julio Cortez)

SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA (Analysis) -- In the wake of last week’s off-off-year mini-election in the U.S., there’s been a lot of undisguised celebrating going on, even among the professionally impartial. Protests, parades, petitions, polls, tweets, and op-eds may be indicators of national mood, but elections remain the only official scorecard -- our

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Laughing Their Ossoff: Did Computer-Aided Fraud Play A Role In Georgia’s Special Election Upset?

In a special Congressional election recently held in Georgia, Republican Karen Handel defeated Democrat Jon Ossoff, who went into the election with a significant lead in the polls. It may have been a good old-fashioned political upset – or the result of behind-the-scenes vote-counting fraud.

Jonathan D. Simon
By Jonathan D. Simon
Republican candidate for Georgia's 6th District Congressional seat Karen Handel declares victory during an election-night watch party, June 20, 2017, in Atlanta. (AP/John Bazemore)

GEORGIA -- (Analysis) The recent special election to fill the Georgia Sixth Congressional District seat formerly held by Republican Tom Price, who was appointed to Donald Trump’s cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services, was the focus of extraordinary attention and expenditure. More than any of the other 2017 special elections, the

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Donald Trump Warned Of A ‘Rigged’ Election, Was He Right?

With Donald Trump formally installed in the Oval Office, election integrity activist Jonathan Simon crunches the numbers and reflects on Election 2016, the death of electoral transparency and the thwarting of public will.

Jonathan D. Simon
By Jonathan D. Simon
Voters cast their ballots at Cynthia Mann Elementary School in Boise, Idaho, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (AP/Otto Kitsinger)

SANTA CRUZ, California --- (Insights) Whether viewed in terms of outcome or of process, the story of the 2016 presidential election is one so grim that it calls for a trigger warning for anyone of ethical sensibilities or faith in the workings of democracy. In a year that will be remembered by many for the number of revered individuals we lost,

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