For me it was when Al Gore ceded the Presidency while he was still the expected winner. He was supposed to lose Florida but the site counts made him win, so he gave up while winning to make George Bush win. They had to make up "hanging chads" excise and keep recounting for weeks until they could come up with a vote tally that showed Bush actually won.

It was at that moment that I realized Gore never planned to win and elections are completely rigged to give the illusion of choice.