which means the stakes will be even higher for the country on November 3. There’s also the issue of delayed ballot arrival to contend with... Different states have varying deadlines about when they must receive absentee and overseas ballots. If the COVID-19 pandemic really does push up mail-in voting to record numbers, there’s a real possibility that state vote-handling systems will be stressed to a breaking point. And all of this is happening during an election that is already the most contentious in living memory... Democrats still cling to the belief that President Trump didn’t win the 2016 election fair and square, and are already spreading panic that Trump will refuse to step down if he loses. Without a concession from the Democrats on election night (a very realistic scenario), the various vote-churning and litigation machines of both sides will kick into overdrive. Some states have up until December 12 to certify election results, which means that there would be weeks of gamesmanship and court battles over discarded ballots, extending deadlines, and other inevitable voting issues. The national focus could also quickly turn to the prospect of a “contingent election” that would occur if neither side wins the electoral college. This would probably only happen if a libertarian or Green Party candidate had an unexpectedly strong finish, but much of the public’s attention will turn to the next possible phase of greatest possible chaos and uncertainty. A contingent election has only occurred three times: 1801, 1825, and 1837. So there is a process in place for this scenario, and it
has been successful in keeping presidential succession going in the past. Essentially, the presidential election process is handed over to the House of Representatives, and then it all comes down to how many individual states a candidate wins. The Senate, in turn, picks the vice president (who is then “president of the Senate” after all). night, the allegations of cheating, tyranny, and a stolen election will be screamed on TV screens, newspapers, and websites all across the country. But these are volatile times in the history of this country... If we don’t have a winner on election night, the allegations of cheating, tyranny, and a stolen election will be If we don’t have a winner on election screamed on TV screens, newspapers, and websites all across the country. Vast hordes of angry voters will take to the streets in protest – and from what we’ve seen from Biden voters all summer, some will riot, loot, and burn down neighborhoods. It’s in the best interests of the country for us to have a winner on November 3. Given the surge of mail-in ballots, such a clear resolution may be wishful thinking. With the way 2020 has gone so far, it seems much more likely that our Republic will be stress-tested in ways that will shake the foundations of our political institutions and challenge the genius of our founding documents to their core.
American Consequences
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