Claims of voter fraud, old as the republic, still work as weapons for Trump

Most elections are, at least in part, reactions to the results of the last election. Usually, that means they function as a referendum on the last election's winners and their performance in office.

It is unusual, if not unprecedented, for the midterm cycle to focus on the conduct of the last election — a kind of referendum on the legitimacy of the system itself.

By that standard, 2022 qualifies as unusual indeed.

Donald Trump and his followers, who now represent the activist core of the Republican Party, have insisted on making 2022...