THE PRAIRIE EDITOR: No Decision Quite Yet In Presidental Race

Although Joe Biden currently leads in enough states to
win the presidency in the electoral college, there are
slated or pending recounts and investigations of alleged
voter fraud in enough of those states to assess the
presidential race as not yet decided. 

Some major print and broadcast media have now “called”
the race, but almost all of them were biased in their
coverage of the long campaign, published significantly
incorrect polls about it, and none of them have any
authority whatsoever to “decide” who has won or lost.
Major non-partisan media, it should be noted, such as
Real Clear Politics have not “called” the race.

Any election has up to five processes: voting, counting the
votes, possible recounting the votes, possible adjudication
of voting disputes, and certification of a winner. A
presidential election has an additional process: election by
certified electors.

At this point, there are still votes being counted, and enough
races are sufficiently close for recounts and adjudication
to render the contest undecided.

After the election processes are concluded, Mr. Biden might
indeed be properly declared the president-elect. And if he
is, he would deserve good wishes for success in office in the
difficult time ahead.

If allegations (so far that is all they are) prove sufficiently
true, however, to declare Mr. Trump the winner, then he will
deserve the good wishes of the nation.

This is an extraordinary time. It was an extraordinary
election for president. Why should we be surprised that
the results would be challenged and require all of the
legitimate processes be properly exhausted?

There was no clear and final result on election night, and
there is no clear and final result now.

But it will come.

Patience and vigilance. Patience and vigilance.

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Copyright (c) 2020 by Barry Casselman. All rights reserved.