Four concrete steps to shut Trump down when he claims his 2020 loss is illegitimate

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/23/opinions/trump-contest-2020-election-loss-geltzer/index.html

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First is the justifiably much-maligned Electoral College. As we were reminded in 2016, elections are not determined by popular vote but by the votes of each state's and the District of Columbia's electors, who are generally chosen by the political parties at state conventions or through a vote of the party's central committee. For the sake of the rule of law and peaceful transfer of power, both parties should require anyone seeking to be one of the college's electors to pledge that they will not withhold, delay or alter their vote based on the claims or protestations of any candidate, including President Trump.

Second is Congress. It's the newly seated Congress that, in January 2021, will meet in joint session to receive the Electoral College's handiwork and count the electoral votes. Thereafter, the President of the Senate will formally announce the election's result. Unlike the electors, who haven't been selected as of this writing, we already know many who will be serving in Congress that day (with the exception of any defeated incumbents, resignations, deaths or other unusual occurrences). These senators and representatives should make a joint pledge not to delay or alter counting of the votes based on any candidate's objections. Moreover, they should pledge to hold public hearings with intelligence community leaders should those officials or any candidate suggest that vote counts were influenced by foreign election interference or for any other reason. That unvarnished testimony by intelligence professionals could debunk any claims by Trump (or any other candidate) that the final vote count shouldn't be honored.

Third, 39 of America's 50 state governors will not be up for reelection in 2020. They represent continuity in critical positions of leadership, and some command respect across party lines. Those 39 should band together now to make clear that they will serve, at least informally, as bastions of our democracy should a peaceful transfer of power look threatened by any candidate's response to the election. Especially because most, if not all, are sure to support one candidate or the other, they hold great power to urge respect for the election's results, regardless of who wins. Think here of the example set by former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas after the December 2017 special election for a Senate seat in Alabama. When Republican candidate Roy Moore initially appeared intent on baselessly contesting the election results, Huckabee, a Republican stalwart, issued a sharply worded rebuke to Moore. Moore soon acknowledged defeat.

Fourth, our civilian and uniformed Defense Department leaders have a role to play. The health of our democracy rests, in part, on not involving the military in transfers of power. And that should continue. But imagine the most extreme scenario, with Congress certifying Trump's defeat but Trump refusing to leave office. In those circumstances, the military would no longer owe its loyalty to Donald Trump as of noon on January 20, 2021. And it's worth asking the Secretary of Defense and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as they testify before Congress in coming months, to affirm that they understand that and would act consistently with it.

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