The last day to vote is on Tuesday, November 3rd, and for many people — this means that we can finally stop talking about voting and the Elections. But unfortunately, that won’t happen. Just because the Elections are over doesn’t mean the work is done.
Past Elections have generally generated high voter turnout at the polls — through in-person voting. This meant that we were often able to get projected results on Election night as the results came in.
But the pandemic has changed the role of Election night.
Instead, we won’t see a final result on that night, or even Wednesday.
And that’s okay.
The pandemic’s onset meant many voters turned to absentee ballots. Many campaigns and electoral organizing organizations (like AAOP!) encouraged voters to vote by mail and this meant that voters turned out record numbers of absentee ballots.
And the pandemic also meant that many offices have cut jobs, placed physically distanced protocols in their offices, preventing overcrowding. This meant that our Elections Administration Office may be short staffed.
And this is on top of the rigorous checks and balances that the Elections Office Officials must go through to verify each eligible absentee vote and the fact that many states cannot even begin counting or processing mailed ballots until after the polls close.
So take a breath. Take a moment. And then let’s come back to demand that the people’s voice is heard, that every vote is counted, that the next leaders of our government are the ones we’ve decided on.
What’s Next? If you’re feeling safe and able, plug into these in-person events:
- 11/4 @ 4pm CST: Protect the Results
- 11/4 @ 5pm CST: Defend the Vote: Don’t Let Trump Steal the Election!
- 11/4 @ 6pm CST: Day after elections: National Day of Protest for a People’s Mandate
- 11/7 @ 12pm CST: Together We Rise: March to Decide Our Future