The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Nov. 5, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Election night is unlikely to be “results night”.  Irresponsible candidates may exploit an extended time to declare a winner and say there’s something illicit about the process.  In fact, it’s our patriotic friends and neighbors who serve as poll workers, taking the time needed to get it right.  

Mail-in ballots require extra steps for election officials, as the ballots are checked-in, outer envelopes opened, and identification documents verified. During 2020, folds in mail ballots slowed the tabulation process.  New rules streamlined processing in some states, allowing mail ballots to be processed before election day.  But in some state more layers of ID have been added, and counting can’t take place until election day.

There are also likely to be more challenges to voter eligibility from partisan poll watchers, a voter suppression tactic expanded by some state legislatures under the guise of “election integrity.”  Addressing challenges consumes election officials’ time.

Close races may also trigger an automatic recount, or a candidate may request a recount.  These generally take place after election night, but delay the results, often for days. Such recounts generally start with a second run through a tabulator, then a hand count, if necessary.  

We need to give the checks and balances of our system the time to work, supported by our heroic poll workers.  Find out more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
Reuters – Explainer: Why we may not know the winner of the US presidential election on Nov. 5

538.com – When Will We Know 2024 Election Results?
The Hill – When will we know the results of the presidential election?
CNN – How news outlets are bracing for an election night cliffhanger
Washington State Standard – Final results may lag in deadlocked presidential contest, anxious election officials warn
Protect Democracy – The 2024 Vote Count:  What to Expect

Groups Taking Action:
Protect Democracy, Common Cause, Election Official Legal Defense Fund, Public Citizen

Check Your Voter Registration:

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State
• USA Vote Foundation – Registration, Eligibility, State Election Office Links
• Vote.Gov – Register to Vote in Your State
• Vote.Org – Check Your Registration to Vote
  
  

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ElectionNight #ElectionResults #ProtectElections

The post Close Races, New Rules, Mail-in Ballots and Election Deniers Mean Election Night is Not Likely to Be Results Night appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for November 8, 2022

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Today’s Links

Articles & Resources: 

NBC News — Mail-in and early in-person votes cast
Brookings Institution — Help democracy—cancel election night
National Conference of State Legislatures — When Absentee/Mail Ballot Processing and Counting Can Begin
Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency — Mail-In Voting Safeguards

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Don’t expect election results on Election night.   A surge of early midterm voting – particularly mail-in voting – will mean that we shouldn’t expect results on Tuesday, or possibly even until next week, in many states. 

NBC reports as of Monday morning, Nov. 7, 41.3 million ballots had been cast early.   54% of those ballots were cast by mail, and 46% were by early in-person voting.   Election workers will tell you that counting mail ballots is a slower process, even if the tabulation is done by machine.   

Each mail-in ballot usually has an outer mailing envelope which must be scanned and carefully opened. Then an inner envelope with the ballot and signed affidavit is opened.  There also may be copies of identification enclosed which need to be checked.   Mail-in ballots are often folded to cut postage costs, but folding in itself can sometimes challenge optical scanning machines.  The process just takes longer.  While some states have changed their laws to allow counting of early ballots BEFORE election day,  in other states, processing can’t even begin until election night.    

The good news is that mail-in options, while slower, give access to many who might not otherwise be able to vote, including hourly workers, disabled voters, seniors, citizens living in remote areas, and others.   So while we’re all itchy to see the results, the benefits of increasing access to all eligible voters is worth the wait.  

We have links to articles on the counting and security of mail-in ballots at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org 

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post <strong>Don’t Expect Results on Election Night — But It’s Worth the Wait</strong> appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

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Today’s Links
Articles:
Washington Post:   What you need to know about delayed election results in Maryland
Washington Post:   Meet the candidates who want to be Maryland’s next governor
WJLA TV:  Maryland 2022 Primary Election: Everything you need to know before you vote
Maryland State Board of Elections:   Primary Elections

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

Maryland voters go to the polls July 19 for what is likely to be the most consequential election in two decades, with races for a new governor, attorney general and comptroller.  Knowing who wins may take some time, as a record numbers of mail-in ballots are counted. 

There are no fewer than nine Democratic candidates vying for governor, including Tom Perez, former Obama administration official and Democratic National Committee chair, and polling shows the race is extremely tight.  There are two Republicans, with outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan endorsing Kelly Schulz, and Donald Trump endorsing, 2020 election-denying Daniel Cox.  The Washington Post reports that Cox and Schulz are in statistical dead heat.   

One of the big stories of the election is the number of mail-in ballots requested, and the unique rules in Maryland that don’t allow processing of them until two days after election day.  The Post reports that almost 497,000 mail ballots were requested by Maryland voters, a record, and that 16.6 percent of registered Democrats and 8.7 percent of registered Republicans requested mail ballots.  Ballots must be postmarked, or dropped in an official drop box, by 8 pm July 19th.

A close race, the two day wait, plus other outdated rules which require hand-opening and tabulation of mail ballots, may mean results will be days and possibly a week or more away.  Democracy can be slow, but when the people are allowed to participate, it’s a good thing. 

More details on the election and how to vote in Maryland are at  AmericanDemocracyMinute.org Granny D said “Democracy is not something we have, it’s something we DO.”   

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl.

The post American Democracy Minute for July 19, 2022: Maryland’s July 19th Primary Features Close Races and Record Numbers of Mail-In Ballots appeared first on American Democracy Minute.