Knowledge, Feeling, and Belief

Some candidates in the midterm elections said they would refuse to accept or certify election results that didn't come out in their favor. This echoed the sentiment of others from earlier this year, like Otero County, New Mexico's former election commissioner Couy Griffin. He refused to certify the county’s 2022 primary election results not because of any irregularities in the voting or reports of voter fraud, but because he had a gut feeling that fueled his belief and outweighed any need for evidence. Griffin was eventually removed from office following a conviction for his role in the Capitol insurrection, but there are still lingering questions about the ways in which feeling and belief play into our legal system. How do we seek truth in elections that are increasingly fueled by belief?