07/11/2020
Hey, keep in mind that the media doesn’t elect the President. Votes do. Electoral votes. No state has even certified their count yet. That takes place around nov 13. Then they assemble their electors and send them with the vote count to DC. By DEc 14 the house has to certify the count/electors vote. That’s the actual day the next President is elected.
Some people ask why the media calls races and announces the President/race winners. That’s been a no notable tradition of the the first amendment and the freedom of the press. Generally, this process has helped keep our elections transparent and fostered belief in our democracy. However, that tradition is only the informal part of the process.
The two part process of informal media calling races backed up by the formal electoral vote is what makes our system great.
When there is a clear question about the vote, called either way by the media, the entire process hinges on the electoral vote; not the media calling.
But there is another thing to consider with this election. The US Supreme Court has already issued an order for PA to separate all votes brought into count after closing of the polls in pa on Nov 3. Separating the votes is important because at 230am est on Nov 3 President Trump was up by almost 650k votes. This means that if the US Supreme Courts orders all those votes to be invalid because they came in after closing of the polls (regardless of the postmark) then the vote stands with the President.
That is what is being set up right now. Election Day is one day as authorized by the constitution. I’d you want to vote, are eligible to vote, but don’t make it to the poll on Election Day (just like ballots being counted that came in after the polls closed) then those votes don’t count. Those votes are treated just like a person that arrives to vote on Election Day after they polls have closed. That’s it.
As you know, court rulings create precedent for other similar cases. So, if that’s how it goes in PA, that’s how it will go elsewhere. Don’t forget, there isn’t an appeal to the Supreme Court after it rules. Possibly a review by the court, but highly unlikely.
So, of course care about free and fair elections, then this should be of great value for you regardless of who you voted for.
