The simple answer would be because media projections are not the rule of law in the U.S.
Despite #StopTheSteal, #Trumpwon, #TrumpLandslide, and #voterfraud hashtags running rampant in the corridors of social media, Dear Readers, the final tally of mail-in, provisional, and in-person votes are not yet officially certified. And that is why the election is not over!
Furthermore, all 50 governors have yet to prepare their Certificate of Ascertainment.
And each state’s Electoral College electors have yet to cast their votes for president and vice president formally, which will happen on the first Monday after the second Wednesday next month or December 14th for this year. In other words, Dear Readers, it’s not because the mainstream media has called the presidential election for Joe Biden that it is so! Is President Trump a sore loser, or is he entitled to explore all allegations of election fraud? Without further ado, let’s get into this!
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This blog is the brainchild of JMStrategy LLC (JMS), a boutique consulting firm that offers strategic solutions to strengthen the brands of organizations and individuals. The most effective solutions are the ones that take into consideration public policies (both at the local and federal levels) since, as we have all seen this year, their impact can turn our lives upside down in an instant.
Soooooooo, Election Day became Election Week and is looking to turn into Election Month! And, last week, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called for a manual hand recount of all ballots that voters cast in the state, prolonging this election debate even further. Dear Readers, why is this a bad idea? Don’t you want to be reassured that our democratic process to elect officials is secure and robust? Don’t you want to have the confirmation that we should all continue to exercise our civic duties precisely because we can trust our election process? So, why are we all stressed about the fact that the election is technically not over yet?
You might have prematurely celebrated Biden’s victory last weekend after CNN, as well as the AP (Associated Press), called him the presumptive winner of the 2020 presidential election. But, given how close the races have been in swing states, isn’t it a good idea to investigate any allegation of voter fraud? After all, the mainstream media is not the official instrument that certifies official elections. Or is it, Dear Readers? What do you think? Do you disagree with this blog?
What happened in Pennsylvania?
Since Pennsylvania is a swing state, this blog wants to explore why it is premature to call the race right this moment (or two Saturdays ago, for that matter) for Biden. Here is a brief recap of significant changes that occurred in the PA Election Code in the last year.
On October 31st, 2019, Governor Wolf had signed Act 77 to make voting more convenient and secure. Essentially, the law created a new option for Pennsylvanians to vote by mail up to 50 days before an election and elect to receive ballot applications by mail permanently. Furthermore, this bipartisan compromise legislation was to provide more time to register. Since it was to take effect six months later, in time for the April 2020 primary election, Act 77 also authorized a $90 million bond to help counties purchase new voting systems (that provided a paper trail that upheld the security of our elections). At the time, most Pennsylvanians thought this law was a great vehicle to increase voter turnout.
Additional changes due to the global pandemic.
Then 2020 brought upon us the dreaded coronavirus, and everything changed! In an interesting turn of events, Dear Readers, Governor Wolf wanted to make another change to the Pennsylvania Election Code. In a case that the Supreme Court decided two weeks before the election, Governor Wolf won his battle to have a three-day extension allowing officials to count ballots received up to November 6th. So, as long as envelopes have postmarks that clearly show that voters mailed ballots on or before November 3rd, they will be counted.
This hard-fought victory was significant because Governor Wolf had unsuccessfully lobbied for the PA legislature to change the election code over the summer. In anticipation of a higher than usual large volume of “vote by mail” ballots, he thought it was best to have such an extension in place to help Pennsylvanians exert their civic duties while staying safe and eliminating any chance to catch COVID-19. The problem, of course, is that Governor Wolf sidesteps the PA legislature that refused to advance this three-day historic change to the PA Election Code, probably because the GOP currently controls both houses. This is how PA ended with Act 12. Now, can President Trump’s lawsuit able to prove that by removing the ballots that fall into the three-day extension, he will be able to flip PA back to red? Is that even enough to keep contesting the result of the election? That’s for the courts to decide and not this blog!
Final thoughts.
There you have it, Dear Readers! Thanks for stopping by today and taking the time to read today’s publication. The JMS team hopes that this refreshingly honest take on public policy has struck a chord with you, Dear Readers. Please share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
We want to hear from you! Do you think that the winner should have been called so early, given the fact that the races were close in a few key swing states just like in Pennsylvania? Or do you think that the investigation of voter fraud is essentially a coup? Why can’t Trump supporter have their million march the same way we saw the Women’s march in 2016? Comments are always welcomed below or by email at jms@branding24seven.com. Don’t be afraid to send questions or follow up topics you would like to see this blog examine further. The JMS team wants to hear from everyone, so questions from liberals, conservatives, and independents are all welcomed! You can always send us anything at:
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