This piece was originally published in the November 2, 2020 edition of CAP Action’s daily newsletter, the Progress Report. Subscribe to the Progress Report here.
Source: NYT
The total number of votes already cast by mail or by early voting
Systemic racism was around long before Trump and before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trump and Republicans have only made it worse.
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- It’s almost Election Day, and not a moment too soon. As you’ve probably heard many times now, we shouldn’t expect to know what’s happening tomorrow night. We will almost certainly have to wait many, many hours — and possibly days — for results. That’s okay! Let that reality sink in now and you’ll be ready to process whatever does happen tomorrow night. Regardless of what happens, this is an unprecedented election in an unprecedented year — don’t panic, and hang in there as this all plays out.
- The right has long relied on a strategy of suppressing the vote in order to win elections, and this year is no different. But now, they’re doing it more blatantly than ever before. As the face of these efforts, Trump has been floating the idea of declaring a false victory before all the ballots have been counted. But it’s more than just him. Republicans in states like Pennsylvania and Texas are fighting in the courts to change the rules on which ballots can be counted, despite many voters having already cast their ballots under one set of rules. Thankfully, in a victory for voters in Texas, a federal court ruled today that 127,000+ votes cast via drive-through voting must be counted.
- Trump’s threats to prematurely declare victory tomorrow night are understandably making a lot of people anxious. But remember this: He doesn’t decide the election. We, the American people, do. If you’ve ever followed election results in real time, you’re probably familiar with how the outcome is announced — the AP calls the race based on incomplete vote totals, then the state announces the official final results, often days or weeks later. The AP is preparing accordingly this year, pledging to be transparent about the factors that impact how and when they call a race.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- As we head into one of the most pivotal elections of our lifetimes, there’s one thing on every voter’s mind — the pandemic. The U.S. reported 81,336 new cases on Sunday, again topping its previous record. Experts are warning that we need to get this under control quickly or risk the kind of devastating outcomes that led governors to implement widespread closures and tight restrictions this spring and summer. “When we get to the breaking point here, we might have no other choice but to implement these measures that no one wants,” said Dr. Leana Wen. “We all have to take action right now with targeted measures, like wearing masks, like restricting indoor gatherings.”
- Trump supporters swarmed a Biden campaign bus on a Texas highway on Friday. A disturbing video of the attack shows trucks bearing pro-Trump signs and flags closing in on Biden’s bus, at one point even ramming into a passing car. The trucks reportedly slowed the bus down to 20 mph, prompting Biden staffers on board to call 911. A similar situation broke out over the weekend In New Jersey when Trump supporters blocked traffic on a major bridge into New York City with seemingly no police interference. Trump celebrated the Texas attack on Twitter yesterday.
- The Trump campaign is not pleased that Joe Biden got Lady Gaga to join him for an event in Pittsburgh tonight. Enjoy.
WHAT WE’RE READING
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