On November 7th, networks such as CNN, MSNBC, NBC, Fox News, ABC, CBS, and Associated Press all finally projected a Biden victory of the Electoral College, popular vote, and the Presidency. The news came when the battleground commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Joe Biden’s state of birth, stably flipped blue. Even with Georgia and North Carolina not being called yet, Joe Biden has already surpassed the needed 270 electoral votes to win. In the days prior to November 7th, the world watched as states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Georgia slowly converted from red to blue, as mail-in ballots began being counted. It’s no surprise that mail-in ballots typically favored Biden, since Trump has spent months falsely undermining the mail-in process, and urging his supporters to vote in-person. Still, the soon to be former President* has not yet agreed to concede. Although I would love to see Trump being forcibly taken out of the White House aka “a dump,” as he once called it, for the sake of democracy, I wish he would accept the valid results, rather than set a precedent of challenging elections when you lose.
Aside from wrongly claiming victory, Trump has been golfing for the past two days. Don’t forget, he’s still expected to act presidential until January 20th and there is still a raging pandemic! In my opinion, Trump is so consumed with upholding superiority that his motive for golfing is to seem un-bothered by Biden’s win, and project confidence to his supporters that he will still prevail victorious. Another strategy used by Donald to deflect the results is by hinting at a 2024 presidential run. But don’t panic! In all honesty, I highly doubt that the Republican Party would ever nominate him again.
Lastly, something that I find extremely worth acknowledging is this election’s voter turnout, which was around 66.4%. Although 66.4% is lower than I would like, it’s around 7 percentage points higher than in 2016. With constant voter suppression making it very difficult for poor populations and minority populations to vote, combined with the simple fact that some people choose not to vote, it’s difficult to increase voter turnout, especially if you don’t work in Congress. But, I’m hoping that in future elections, people will never forget the option to vote by mail because it is a safe, yet gamechaning process. In addition, the power of young voters and Black voters proved to be dominating, and although I couldn’t vote, I’m glad that this election was the first for much of my generation.
Duffin, Published by Erin, and Nov 5. “2020 Presidential Election: Voter Turnout Rate U.S. 2020.” Statista, 5 Nov. 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/1184621/presidential-election-voter-turnout-rate-state/.
“How the Networks Decided to Call the Election for Joe Biden.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2020, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2020-11-07/joe-biden-president-elect-television-news-networks.
Regan, Michael D. “What Does Voter Turnout Tell Us about the 2016 Election?” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 20 Nov. 2016, www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/voter-turnout-2016-elections.