Overview
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ASSIGNMENT: Please respond to the classmate’s discussion post pertaining to the question and material below:
"In the birth of our Republic counting votes is not a bad thing." (Commissioner Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania). View the following videos and comment on the declared outcomes of the 2020 General Elections and whether these are in accordance with the democratic processes in American society. Please note also that 130 plus candidates out of 291 who are "election deniers" won elective office in the recent 2022 Midterm Elections.
Counting the vote: Pennsylvania election officials detail their vote count, share experiences from election week https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWWe_rYwGH4
U.S. Elections John Oliver - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyC855KdBKo
CNN's Pamela Brown on the truth behind Trump's election lie - YouTube
Trump & Election Results: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - YouTube
Exploring what the partisan divide over trusting election results means for the country Nov 1, 2024 6:30 PM EDT https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/exploring-what-the-partisan-divide-over-trusting-election-results-means-for-the-country
Lauren Evan’s Post:
The statement made by Al Schmidt really shows what our democracy needs, transparency, patience, and trust. When looking at the 2020 general election after watching the videos, it's clear that the declared outcomes were consistent with the established democratic producers, even when these procedures are contested within public discourse.
The video showing Pennsylvania election officials shows how the ballots were counted under state law, and the mail-in ballots made the counting process take longer. This was important to see because it showed how many states could not count mail-in ballots until election day. The delay created the appearance of sudden voting shifts, but really it shows the correct way of counting votes. Even the supreme court reviewed different legal challenges, but they weren't able to find any evidence to support the idea that there was widespread fraud within the election, especially looking at the number of audits, recounts, and certifications that were present.
The segment from John Oliver shows how misinformation can spread quickly after the election, with the focus being on misunderstandings about how vote counting works. Oliver's presentation really highlighted how the claim of fraud within the election was based off of misinformation and opinions instead of actual evidence. Similarly, Pamela Brown shows in her segment that the repeated investigation on both republican and democratic sides proves the integrity of the election.
But the PBS NewsHour report on partisan divides shows the deeper issue; trust in the election has become politically polarized. Knowing that over 130 "election deniers" were elected in the 2022 election shows how questions over elections integrity is asked, and that there's a large group of people who believe the elections are rigged. This idea shows how the 2020 election results show a growing gap between institutional validation of election and public perception and trust. The 2020 election aligns with rule of law, transparency, and peaceful transfer of power, but it also brought up concerns about democratic stability.