As if the 2020 election could not become more monumentous, many Americans are worried that Pres. Trump will refuse to leave office, even if rightfully voted out. With overworked election officials and COVID-19 concerns relying on mail in ballots, the election process will grow even more prolonged, as citizens will finally know the election outcome in late winter.
Despite such delays, Pres. Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force in order to keep his seat in office. Luckily, as alarming as his election disputes are, there are still enough safeguards in place from allowing any real system disruptions. Additionally, many public figures have attempted to reassure the public, vowing that no such abuses of power will be allowed.
"Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable," said GOP Sen. Mitt Romney.
While years ago, such a possible risk would be unfathomable, this election has demonstrated the call for concern and need to reevaluate measures in order to prevent such a chaotic and horrific time in American history from repeating.
Assuming that the election will be a close call, political theorists have already determined the expected route in electing the 46th president. While Democratic candidate Joe Biden can expect popular votes from most urban states, swing states Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan may pose an even bigger threat, resulting in conflicting electoral certificates. If this happens, the chambers in Congress must vote on which certificate to accept, but this decision will soon lead to a stalemate. As described by The Guardian, if the Republican Senate rejects the governors’ certificate and accepts the legislatures’, the Democratic House of Representatives will vote the opposite, resulting in political gridlock. It is agreed upon that the Supreme Court should not break the deadlock and the decision is up to the Electoral College.
Contrastingly, if Pres. Trump loses in votes in the popular and electoral vote, his violent uprising and refusal to leave will be even more difficult to justify.
Clearly this likely, yet unfavorable outcome will only add to the uneasiness felt by Americans as Election Day nears. The country is truly on the verge of political collapse and the obvious and necessary changes could not come sooner. 2020 has been a call to action in more areas than one, and unfortunately, the road to stability has only just begun. So buckle up, as we are about to participate in some of the influential political decisions which will undoubtedly affect the future of the U.S. for centuries to come.
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While I am commenting on this post more than a month later, the issues covered in the post are clearly, if not, more relevant. Writing this the night before November 3rd, election day, millions of Americans are preparing for one of the ugliest elections in American history. With cities such as Washington D.C. and New York boarding up storefronts in anticipation of riots following the election, no matter the outcome, the peaceful transfer of power no longer seems likely. Almost all main News outlets predict that Trump will declare a premature win in the election, before all ballots are counted. Relying on the fact that he has/is convincing his supporters to vote in person on election day, therefore counting their votes before many of the mailin ones that more Democrat-voting people have sent in. Trump will try to use these skewed and incomplete results to declare his victory and "fight like hell to discourage the full counting of mail ballots" seems to be in the near future (NY Mag). While I really hope this is not the case, and both candidates respectfully wait for all votes to be counted this is seeming to be increasingly unlikely. Trump has told numerous sources that he will declare victory Election night, thus adding to the fears that he will not leave peacefully leave office, even if in the coming days/weeks the polls shift. Joe Biden is projected to win the popular vote and electoral college, if mail-in ballots are properly counted. But with a 6-3 conservative majority on the SCOTUS now, should the election be contested and make its way there.. Trump may find a way to remain in office (how democratic, I know!)
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/11/how-likely-is-a-premature-trump-declaration-of-victory.html
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