Voters decide the winners
In an unprecedented year, it’s only natural that we have an unprecedented election. While many of us may have wished for the relief of knowing the results on election night, this time it may take days — possibly even weeks — to call the winner.
And that’s okay. Accessibility and accuracy are far more important during a close election than immediate results.
This year, Colorado expanded turnout, trust, and safety by offering ballot tracking, mobile ballot curing options statewide and added hundreds of dropbox locations since 2016. Coloradans have been voting by mail statewide since the 2013 Voter Modernization Act was implemented under Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler. In fact, under the leadership of the past five Republicans and two Democratic Secretaries of State, Colorado has seen substantive policies implemented to bolster our vote by mail system because election administration is a matter of democracy, not partisan politicking.
Even before the pandemic, voting by mail was becoming more common nationwide. When the pandemic started, 34 states had laws permitting all eligible voters to cast their ballots by mail in November — leaving 16 that didn’t. The ACLU sued and helped ensure that five of these 16 states — Missouri, Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky and South Carolina — expanded vote- by- mail eligibility to all voters for the general election.
But more mail- in ballots means more time spent counting and not because of any conspiracy. It simply takes more time to process mail- in ballots for mundane reasons such as taking the ballots out of envelopes and applying security protocols to verify each mail- in ballot. A lag in results is not only expected; it’s a good sign that the process is working as it’s supposed to. Each and every vote counts.
That’s not to say that media pundits or even the candidates themselves won’t try to preemptively declare victory. Referees do not stop a game in the fourth quarter and neither should we. Any results reported on election night are based disproportionately on votes cast in person, as mail- in ballots continue to be counted. And there’s a distinct partisan divide based on voting method: “A Pew Research survey found that 17 percent of
Trump supporters prefer to vote by mail compared to 58 percent of Biden supporters.” Results based on in- person votes will inevitably be skewed along partisan lines. One candidate could easily win the majority of in- person votes, but could ultimately lose once all mail- in ballots are counted. And, as Coloradans know, voters — not candidates or pundits — decide the winner.
Announcing a winner too soon is not only likely to be inaccurate, it’s also dangerous. Conflicting reports of election results undermine election integrity and chip away at voters’ trust in the process. It’s important we temper our expectations and prepare for many days, possibly even weeks before a winner is announced. While it isn’t reflected in the nonstop metabolism of our news cycle, patience is a democratic virtue.
Even a seasoned vote- bymail state like Colorado planned for longer return times as the logical response to public health precautions. Colorado broke not only our own voter turnout records but shattered national ones with approximately 3 million votes cast.
We are seeing record- shattering turnout numbers nationwide. Colorado first led the country in how to carry out vote- by- mail while ensuring access and safety, and now on how to count every vote to ensure integrity and democracy. It’s important to remember that we, the American people, have the power.
The goal of any democratic election is to represent the will of the people — not the politicians. To achieve that goal, we must count every single vote otherwise our elections count for nothing. Let’s accept an extended election process and ensure the votes of the American people — all the people — are respected.