U.S Election 2020

That’s not how it works....

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1...104896513.html

In response to the President's claim that we "must have final total" election results *on* Election Day, here's a #thread on how and why presidential elections *actually* work under state and federal law — and why, in fact, we've *never* had final results *on* Election Day.

Let's start at the beginning. A U.S. presidential election is actually 51 *different* elections (50 states + DC), in which each jurisdiction votes for presidential *electors.* It's the *electors* who vote for President — and they don't meet until *41 days* after the election:

Why 41 days? To give states time to finish counting. Although Election Day is fixed by law, Congress has allowed states to set their own rules about when they count ballots — including whether and to what extent to allow mail-in ballots, and by when those ballots must arrive.

And even for in-person ballots, it's usually not possible for states to *finish* counting *on* Election Day, especially since many state's laws don't allow *any* counting of ballots until all of the polls have closed (which happens sometime on the evening of Election Day).

Plus, if it's *really* close, states generally provide for automatic (and, in some cases, requested) *recounts* (like Florida in 2000), which have to take place before final results can be certified.

That's why *no* state requires certification of results *on* Election Day.

Indeed, only *one* state (Delaware, of course) has a certification deadline that's less than one week after Election Day.

Every other state waits at least a week — and some *require* waiting far longer — to officially certify their election results.

Federal law not only recognizes this variation; it *encourages* it.

Under the "safe harbor" provision of the Electoral Count Act of 1887, a state's results will be deemed conclusive so long as they are certified within *five weeks* of Election Day:

On election night, what we hear are *projections* that the media makes based upon evolving vote tallies and exit polls.

And when those projections give one candidate a majority in the Electoral College, those media groups "call" the election. But *NONE* of that is "official."

[papa smurf]

Nigel Farage insists with '100% certainty' Donald Trump will win US election next week


"It's all a replay of what we saw back in 2016.

"I say 100 percent of those that go out to vote on November 3, Donald Trump will win a majority in the electoral college.

"I say that 100 percent.

"What I don't know is the extent to which this early mail-in voting is being used and potentially abused.


https://www.express.co.uk/news/polit...2020-latest-VN

Originally Posted by Mr K

Surely its 'crooked' to make Court appointments based on politics. Thankfully President Joe is going to review the whole system
BTW 'Trump may lose' ? Fake news. Done lose faith Mick, he's a shoe in

It’s not crooked, by 2016, Obama was a lame duck president, he had no Senate so when he made his court pick, the Republican controlled Senate, blocked his pick. They cited that it was an election year. Fast forward to now, Republicans have fast tracked Trump’s pick, hypocritically. That said, they did right thing. The way the pathetic Democrats treated Justice Kavanaugh with his confirmation, with fake allegations trying to discredit him to keep seat open. Democrats also changed the 60 vote confirmation requirement, when they controlled the Senate in 2013. Paving the way to allow the Republicans last night to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, on 52 votes to 48. The Democrats reap what they sow.

Democrats get all they deserve, if they pack the Supreme Court should they gain the Senate this year, at every other election, Republicans could regain power and make changes how they see fit and it’s just an endless cycle of power grabs by each side.

Originally Posted by Mick

Democrats also changed the 60 vote confirmation requirement, when they controlled the Senate in 2013. Paving the way to allow the Republicans last night to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, on 52 votes to 48. The Democrats reap what they sow.

Wasn't the 60 vote thing about the filibuster? I.E You only needed 51 votes to confirm but 60 votes to override any attempt to filibuster so short of either party getting above 60 the other party could just hold up the entire process.

They need rid of the filibuster anyway, it's a stupid system.

Originally Posted by Damien

Wasn't the 60 vote thing about the filibuster? I.E You only needed 51 votes to confirm but 60 votes to override any attempt to filibuster so short of either party getting above 60 the other party could just hold up the entire process.

They need rid of the filibuster anyway, it's a stupid system.

Kinda...

This Time article best explains it:

In 2013, Reid invoked the “nuclear option,” a historic move that changed a long-standing Senate rule, dropping the number of votes needed to overcome a filibuster from 60 to a simple majority for executive appointments and most judicial nominations — a decision he justified because of trouble getting through court confirmations in the latter half of the Obama Administration.

At the time, then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and many other Republicans warned Reid that he would regret implementing the nuclear option.

https://time.com/5324365/harry-reid-...supreme-court/

Yeah. The filibuster is another mechanism of American politics I don't understand. It should just be removed. The Democrats doing in 2013 may have backfired but then they shouldn't be allowed to filibuster this nominee all the way until the election anyway, plus nothing would stop the Republicans from getting rid of it either. If the Senate is Republican then thems the breaks.

America seems to love these arbitrary ways they have to block elected politicians from doing stuff. Same with the fact any law congress does actually pass can be litigated all the way to the Supreme Court who themselves seem to be able to do their own little bit of legislating from the bench based on the political learnings of lifetime appointments. The timing of when these justices die can impact the nation for decades to come.

I do like the American system for sheer drama and the mechanisms of how the Government works make for interesting scenarios but I am becoming more convinced it's a bizarre way to run a country. I may not like the recent results of our elections but at the system allows things to happen.

[downquark1]

If you think that is bad. Watch this https://youtu.be/dDYFiq1l5Dg

Joe Biden calls his VP Pick Sen. Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, “Kamala’s wife”

https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/statu...74534921981952

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Mick

Joe Biden calls his VP Pick Sen. Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, “Kamala’s wife”

https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/statu...74534921981952

Has she always been a chick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDn9D7E7i7Q

Hope Nigel us going to self-isolate for 14 days when he gets back from the Trump rally in Phoenix, Arizona.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Hope Nigel us going to self-isolate for 14 days when he gets back from the Trump rally in Phoenix, Arizona.

Hmm, I thought he'd have had a better position than just being in the audience.
He now seems to be focusing on his financial tips newsletter. https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/nigel...-plan-22912149

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Hmm, I thought he'd have had a better position than just being in the audience.
He now seems to be focusing on his financial tips newsletter. https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/nigel...-plan-22912149

He’s with Senators, so probably VIP - not a lot of masks/social distancing on display, though...

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Hope Nigel us going to self-isolate for 14 days when he gets back from the Trump rally in Phoenix, Arizona.

Surely if your names Nigel and your surname rhymes with Garage the rules state you have to self isolate, for 14 years ?

He"ll probably retire to the continent soon like most high profile Brexiteers. Trump will join him, buying Portugal and turning it in to a mega golf course.

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Hope Nigel us going to self-isolate for 14 days when he gets back from the Trump rally in Phoenix, Arizona.

Hope he makes a better job of it than Tony Blair
https://metro.co.uk/2020/10/18/tony-...trip-13440361/

[denphone]

This is the FT's latest US election polling figures with less than one week to go before US election day on November 3.

https://ig.ft.com/us-election-2020/