Refusal to concede a legitimate loss

Refusing to concede a legitimate election loss — beyond the brief window in which routine recounts and contests are concluded — is the public maintenance by a losing candidate or their party that the result was illegitimate, when neither evidence nor adjudicated process supports that claim. Concession is a norm, not a legal requirement; the issue is the sustained public position by losing candidates that the election was stolen, which functions as the foundation for downstream abuses including election denial and overturning attempts. The publication records sustained refusal by candidates and parties, not the routine grace period of legal review.