I Am Not Ready to Concede Anything [OPINION]

A week after the election and votes are still being counted. A week. Seven days. But according to the media, it's all over. The media has declared a winner. How can we have a winner if votes are still being counted?

Ah, "pull up your big boy pants" and accept that it is over. No, I will not pull up my big boy pants. It is my belief that there are serious allegations of irregularities with this election that cannot be ignored. This is no longer about whether President Trump will be re-elected. It's about the integrity of our elections going forward.

The Michigan Legislature has met in special session and voted to move forward with a review of "potential irregularities." Georgia's voting system implementation manager Gabriel Sterling told reporters on Monday that a recount "will find that people voted illegally" (Editor's note: Sterling presented it as something that happens in elections, but stated that he didn't think it would affect the outcome). A poll worker in Nevada signed an affidavit alleging that he witnessed fraud. A judge in Pennsylvania ruled that poll watchers were not given proper access in Philadelphia. This is all documented. It's not wild speculation or someone's opinion. What I have just stated is factual.

The American people – Republican, Democrat, or like me, unenrolled – must have confidence in the electoral process. The idea of free and open elections is at the bedrock of our founding. It's who were are.

A good deal of Americans this morning do not believe the election was fair. They have a right to demand that the results be reviewed and analyzed. To deny them that right would be un-American. If a review determines the election was, in fact, on the level, we move on.

The whole world is watching how we deal with this crisis in confidence. Let's put all of our cards on the table to show the world that the American experiment still works.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.