<s>[INST] It seems that a number of ballots have been thrown away in a few key swing states. With my knowledge that the United States is a Constitutional Republic, I have come to conclude that this is another example showing that the 'deep state' exists and is at play in the United States.  My question then is this: What values and practices must be upheld or enacted in order to ensure that the current electoral apparatus remains a genuinely representative and free system?[/INST]