>the specter of brown democrats rigging elections has been a subtext of republican electioneering forever.

These kinds of accusations are very hypocritical. I have yet to see Democrats accept a loss without claiming stolen or rigged elections. They refuse to accept the 2000 election, said that Republicans stole the state of OH in 2004, and even now claim that the current Republican majorities in both the House and Senate are the result of "gerrymandering."