The CB — Issue 8, October 30, 2020
African Americans line up to vote after the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. AP. Credit Time Magazine.
1965
My parents were alive when the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. My parents were fighting for Americans to have the right to vote. This isn’t ancient history.
Fast forward to 2016…
And America got a civic lesson regarding the popular vote versus the electoral college. So months ago, when people started to ask me whether I was concerned about the 2020 election —I said yes. Specifically, I was, and am, concerned about the Certification process.
Welcome to 2020…
And this year, we face a potential fight through the certification process. For those unfamiliar, certification is when States confirm their final voting outcomes. Certification issues are uncommon, something like four in U.S. history. Remember the Bush-Gore legal battles?
The key date you will start hearing and reading more about is the December 8th “Safe Harbor Deadline.”
We could have two people claiming to be President come January.
Going forward, I will try to provide as much information as I can. To be a resource to help people better understand the issues, concerns, and hot topics that are likely to dominate the media landscape for the next month after the election.
Remember. Remember. The 8th of December.
VOTE.
Forward Together.
/C
1/ VOTER CERTIFICATION PROCESS
Empower yourself. Here’s a clear breakdown of the election timeline and process from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The CRS is a 100 year old publicly funded non-partisan organization that’s trusted by both parties.
The CRS report, The Electoral College: A 2020 Presidential Election Timeline, lays out the deadlines and rules in clear easy to understand language. It’s two very simple pages and worth your time to read.
2/ UNDERSTANDING CERTIFICATION FIGHTS
Context helps. Below are links to articles that describe how legal and political issues might emerge to provide some background and context.
For example, what if a State (such as Pennsylvania) that has a Democratic Governor and Republican State Legislature send conflicting certifications?
American Bar Association Journal: Dec. 8 'safe harbor' deadline is a critical date in nightmare election scenarios (no subscription required).
The Economist: Lawrence Douglas on what happens if Trump rejects the election result (subscription required).
The Washington Post: What if Trump loses but insists he won? (no subscription required).
3/ ACTIONS TO TAKE FROM HOME
Tech minded. Normally I don’t push widgets, but I like MapLight and campaign financing transparency. MapLight has developed an interesting tool for those that might want to help counter misinformation from the privacy of their own home. It’s a simple tool (install on your browser) designed to “ease reporting of election misinformation.”
You can check it out here: Election Deception Tracker
4/ BIDEN/HARRIS CAMPAIGN
Final push. For those that want to do one thing. Two options below, one is public support. The other is a small donation for the final push.
Join my $50.00 donation grassroots campaign. I’m asking 20 people to join my fundraising campaign as part of Innovators for Biden (I4B) network and donate just $50.00.
Send Charles a question
Questions, suggestions, comments? Send me an email or find me on Twitter @CharlesBelle
ABOUT The CB
After running for Supervisor in San Francisco, people keep asking me — What can I do? I created The CB because I know people care about our communities, our cities, our country, and our future. We need real change. And you don’t want to sit on the sidelines, you want to be part of the change for a better world. The CB newsletter answers the question “What Can I Do?” with easy to digest, curated actions, to help each of us change our world for the better.