Get Out the Vote
As of this writing (yesterday morning), 76 million people had voted already in Tuesday’s Presidential election, with six days remaining to cast a ballot. That represents approximately 36% of those eligible to vote and far exceeds the total of “early” voters in 2016, when 58 million people cast their ballots early.
It’s anticipated that early voting, excluding mail-in ballots, could top 100 million people before Election Day. And that compares to the total votes cast in the 2016 Presidential election of 136.5 million. If early voting is any indication of how many ballots will ultimately be cast, 2020 is set to break every existing record for ballots cast in a Presidential election, as well as the percentage of people eligible to vote who actually do vote.
I, for one, have traditionally voted by absentee ballot, which I did two weeks ago since I never know where I’m going to actually be come Election Day.
Perhaps all of the divisiveness and social unrest we’ve seen in our country has translated into people wanting to exercise their right to a voice in our country’s leadership on a go-forward basis.
Voting rights and the eligibility to vote in the United States are established by the United States Constitution and by state law. Several constitutional amendments (the 15th, 19th and 26th) say that the voting rights of U.S. citizens cannot be abridged on account of race, color, sex or age (although you must be at least 18).
We have one of the most evolved democracies on the planet. We vote for President every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. A President can only serve two four-year terms. When a President is not re-elected after one term or is termed out and does not run, we have an orderly transition of power from the outgoing to the incoming President.
This could be one of the most contentious elections in modern times. Let’s hope the record turnout brings a clear result that tells us whom the American people want to lead us for the next four years, whichever way it goes. We need a mandate, we need a clear winner, we need clear direction, and we need to embrace the results and support our leader, whomever it may be. Our country needs to heal.
If you haven’t done so already, exercise your right and vote.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and remember we are all in this together.
