It’s Time
States United Democracy Center
A bipartisan organization advancing free, fair, and secure elections. Democracy needs back-up, that's where we come in.
This Week in Democracy?
?? EXPLORE: CanIVote.org ? ??
?? EXPLORE: ElectionDeniers.org ? ?
?? EXPLORE: The results of our survey and Protect Democracy’s guide ? ?
?? EXPLORE: How Elections Are Certified in Battleground States ? ?
It’s Time?
Our CEO, Joanna Lydgate, recently pointed out to Teen Vogue that “Election Day” is almost an outdated concept. It’s more like election season—and we’ve been in it for a while now. Voting has been underway for weeks .?
But Tuesday is the big day, when we’ll begin to get some clarity about the choices Americans have made in this consequential election. (If you’re still deciding, head over to ElectionDeniers.org to learn where all the candidates stand on free and fair elections.)??
Next week is going to be busy. So here are some thoughts to keep us all grounded:?
??? It’s safe to vote. Election officials and law enforcement leaders have been working together for months to plan for a smooth election. Casting your vote safely and in private is a fundamental American freedom.?
??? The results will take time. In counties across the country, tens of thousands of election workers will work day and night to count the votes and verify the totals. They will take the time they need to get this right. (In some close presidential states, and especially places where vote counting can’t legally begin until Election Day, election officials have stressed that it’s unlikely we’ll know the winner on Tuesday night .)?
??? You may see premature claims of victory. Don’t buy it. What we think of as the “lead” may shift back and forth. That is normal. Margins change as results come in from different areas and as mail and absentee ballots are tabulated. Elections aren’t over until every eligible vote has been counted. Even the projections you see in the media are unofficial.?
??? State and local election officials are your best source for accurate election information. Rumors and false information can spread especially quickly in the vacuum before election results are clear. Stick to trusted sources of information. State and local government websites and official social media accounts are good places to start.?
??? The election will be certified under the law. In several states, we’ve seen hints that anti-democracy actors would try to disrupt the formal certification of the results. It won’t work. There are other steps in our election process, such as canvassing and recounts, to handle any questions about the process. But the law is clear: State and local election officials must certify the will of the people , no matter what it is.?
??? Election officials have got this. They’ve been put through a lot in the past four years—conspiracy theories , needless paperwork , attempts at political interference , threats —but they are a strong, resilient community of nonpartisan professionals, and now is their time to shine. They are ready, they will follow the law, and they will deliver another free and fair election.?
State of the States?
In Michigan, the clerk of Rock River Township and his deputy were removed from overseeing next week’s election after they indicated an intent to count ballots by hand. The township’s deputy treasurer and a nearby township clerk will run the election instead, according to Jonathan Brater, the director of the state’s Bureau of Elections. Brater had warned the clerks that a hand count would violate state law, “interfere with the integrity of the election process, undermine the county canvass, and jeopardize the ability of candidates to request a recount.” A States United report found that hand counts also risk extraordinary delays, costs, and mistakes.? ?
In New York, a state appeals court suspended the law license of Kenneth Chesebro, a key architect of the “fake electors” plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Chesebro pleaded guilty to a felony in the Georgia election interference case last year, which the New York judges said was a serious crime warranting his suspension.? ?
In Oregon and Washington,?ballot drop boxes were targeted by?attempted arson attacks . Law enforcement believes one suspect committed the attacks in both states. Some ballots were damaged, but many were protected by fire suppression systems built into the drop boxes. Local police, the FBI, and U.S. Attorneys’ offices are?working together ?to investigate and hold accountable anyone responsible for attempting to disenfranchise voters. And every impacted voter will have an opportunity to make sure their vote is counted.?
Tim Scott, the Elections Director of Multnomah County, Oregon, said that “virtually all the ballots” were protected by fire suppression systems. Only three ballots were damaged, and his department is contacting those voters. Scott?encouraged ?any concerned voters to reach out to his office, or check the tracking status of their ballot at?multco.us/trackyourballot .?
Washington elections staff were able to identify hundreds of damaged ballots, and replacements are on their way to voters. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs’ office?encouraged ?voters to check the status of their ballot at?VoteWA.gov . If their returned ballot is not marked as “received,” voters can print a replacement ballot or visit their local elections department to get one.?
In Pennsylvania, a judge threw out a lawsuit brought by six members of Congress who sought a last-minute overhaul of verification procedures for overseas and military ballots. Among their requests was a freeze on counting those ballots for the rest of the year.?
Imposing new procedures just days before the election “would upend the Commonwealth’s carefully laid election administration procedures,” the judge wrote . “[W]e need not tempt fate.” The judge also expressed skepticism as to why the plaintiffs waited for more than two years after the original procedures were implemented to bring their case.?
In a separate suit, a judge ordered Bucks County to extend the deadline for voters to request a mail-in ballot to 5 p.m. Friday.?
In Virginia, officials were authorized to resume a program that removed more than 1,600 voters from the state’s voter rolls after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed it to continue. The program is intended to remove supposed noncitizens from voter rolls, even though it’s already?illegal under state and federal law ?for noncitizens to vote (and?extremely rarely even attempted ).?
A federal judge had previously put Virginia’s program on hold after civil rights groups and the Justice Department sued. The Justice Department argued that the program is in violation of the National Voter Registration Act , which requires that voter roll maintenance like that in Virginia must be completed 90 days before an election. The groups also provided evidence that the program—like a similar program in Alabama that was recently blocked —had likely removed eligible U.S. citizens from voter rolls .?
“Eligible Virginia voters should know that regardless of this purge they can register to vote on Election Day and cast their ballots,” said Danielle Lang of the Campaign Legal Center.?
In the News??
“This pre-election period is really like, chaos is the strategy,” said Lizzie Ulmer, a senior vice president at States United Democracy Center, a nonpartisan democracy watchdog organization that works with state officials in both parties. “All of this litigation is really around throwing sand in the gears in our election system, and then being able to point to that as an example, saying, ‘See, it doesn’t work, so you shouldn’t trust it.’”? ?
According to States United Action, an advocacy group, 26 election deniers hold statewide office in 19 states, while 172 sitting members of Congress are election deniers. The group is also tracking 14 election deniers in statewide races this year, along with 180 congressional candidates. ? ?
“We need to stop talking about Election Day or election night in this country and start talking about election season,” said Joanna Lydgate, CEO of States United Democracy Center, an election rights advocacy organization.? ?
Mai Ratakonda, senior counsel at States United Democracy Center, said anti-democracy groups have used litigation “to legitimize their efforts to sow doubt in our election system.”?
“We’ve unfortunately continued to see this trend of filing lawsuits to bolster and legitimize narratives that our elections are insecure and laying the groundwork to contest results later,” Ratakonda told reporters on a press call Wednesday hosted by the organization, whose stated mission is to protect nonpartisan election administration.? ?
According to research by States United Action, 172 current members of Congress believe the 2020 election was rigged and/or stolen by the Democratic Party. That means almost one-third of Congress is made up of election deniers. The organization also tallies 180 election deniers who are currently running for Congress in November, the vast majority of whom are seeking reelection.? ?
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1 周I agree.