On Nov. 3, 2020, the voters of the United States of America elected Joe Biden president. He received 81,284,666, or 51.3% of the votes cast; Donald Trump, his opponent, received 74,224,319 votes, or 46.9% of total votes cast. Biden won the Electoral College with 306 votes to Trump’s 232 votes.

Multiple independent audits, court rulings, and contemporaneous reporting found no evidence of systematic fraud that would have changed the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Claims that the election was “stolen” rely on uncorroborated allegations and have been repeatedly debunked by election officials, forensic audits, and fact-checkers.

Despite the facts, Trump (who does not claim election fraud in the 2024 election), the GOP, and MAGA true believers continue to claim the 2020 election was stolen. The right continues to cast doubt on the integrity of American elections and to create barriers to prevent voting by people of color and women, because they can’t win with the values they stand for.

On June 9, 2026, the voters of Easthampton approved the city’s proposed override by a vote of 3,312 to 3,073, a difference of 239 votes out of a total of 6,385 cast. Because we live in a democracy, the will of a majority of our neighbors will determine the size of next year’s property tax levy.

The commonwealth of Massachusetts, through the secretary of state’s office, oversees elections, which are managed at the municipal level. If voters are concerned about the validity of the election, they can request a recount of an election with 10 signatures per ward (50 signatures).

The Easthampton Republican Committee and Easthampton Active Citizens have filed for a recount of the override ballots, which the city will schedule. Chair Cathy Wauczinski says that, “I think the biggest reason for the recount is the fact that there are people who are eligible voters who did not get an opportunity to vote. “ (The Reminder, June 19, 2026)

The issue raised to justify the recount is that the city mailed empty envelopes to voters who requested mail-in ballots. There is no evidence that these voters did not vote with the ballots the city mailed them, correcting the error. Easthampton’s voting process, managed by our city clerk and registrar of voters, is fundamentally sound and transparent. You can walk into City Hall to ask the city clerk questions, and you can attend Board of Registrars meetings. The registrars are your neighbors.

Despite the facts, and just like Trump and the GOP, Easthampton’s local MAGA folks are claiming that a clerical error that was rectified justifies questioning the validity of the entire override election. It’s an irresponsible and reckless claim. And now the taxpayers will be footing an estimated $8,000 cost for the recount.

Wauczinski said she led the “vote no” campaign because there was concern that those in the community on fixed incomes or with financial restraints may not be able to withstand the hike in property taxes from the passed override (The Reminder, June 19, 2026).

My questions are: What ideas does the Easthampton Active Citizens group have for how to alleviate the burden on those of in our community with fewer resources? What projects is the group planning to assist our neighbors? We look forward to hearing all about their plan.

Julie Slavet lives in Easthampton.