Breathe.
Election Day has come and gone and we are pretty much where we expected to be -- in the waiting room. We may be here for a couple days, maybe even longer.
This is OK, this is how it should be.
Because every vote counts.
Voters came out in record numbers this year -- the biggest turnout in more than a century. Since so many people voted early and voted by mail, it’s going to take little while to count every vote. It’s incredible. So many people made their voices heard because we are hungry for change, we are ready to take hold of our future, to restore and protect our democracy, to act on climate, and they are ready for elected officials who will put people first.
Here’s what we know:
- Turnout was off the charts
- The Presidential race has not been called by any news organizations.
- There are tens of millions of ballots to be counted.
- Vote counting always continues after Election Day.
Everything the President said last night was wrong. And it was dangerous. He is casting doubt on our elections and attempting disenfranchise voters across the country. He seems uninterested in listening to the will of the voters.
Here’s what you can do to help protect our vote:
- Take a break, turn off the cable news, put Twitter down.
- Take this action -- ask your elected officials to join you in demanding that we count every vote and that we protect our democracy.
- Don’t share unverified news -- check your sources (more on that here)
- Get ready to get out into the streets to protect our democracy.
- Breathe.
This has been a rollercoaster, and will continue to be. Despite knowing that the situation we’re facing today was pretty likely, I’ve spent a lot of time refreshing Twitter and FiveThirtyEight.com, occasionally yelling at the TV, and making bad elections jokes on Slack. So this is sort of a “(Don’t) be like Mike” situation.
Here’s what you need to know:
- This is how the process is supposed to work -- this is how we count every vote.
- We have to be vigilant to make sure that the process continues to work the way it’s supposed to.
- We’re in this for a little while longer.
- The Trump campaign may sue, increasing the uncertainty.
- Millions more people voted for Joe Biden nationally -- people are ready to turn the corner.
- We’re all in this together.
Look for updates in the next couple of days as this situation unfolds.
And breathe.
