WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Katherine Chuang

After more than 20 presidential candidates and $14 billion dollars spent, the Associated Press declared Joe Biden the President-elect on Saturday. In elections past, the drama would end there. Not this year. 

After months of alleging voter fraud, President Trump is putting his money where his mouth is. He’s filed over a dozen lawsuits that challenge ballot counts in at least five key states where Biden has been declared the winner (AP). While it seems likely that Biden will withstand these allegations and remain the President-elect, legal proceedings have ignited a media firestorm that’s consuming both sides. With stakes this high, fierce partisanship is neither new nor surprising; in 2016, only 36% of Democrats considered the election ”free and fair” compared to 73% of Republicans. That flipped in 2020, as 90% of Democrats considered it “free and fair” versus 26% of Republicans (Morning Consult).

Here’s what you need to know.

Facts

• Official? The General Services Administration has yet to officially announce Joe Biden as President-elect. Until that happens, Biden can’t access federal agencies and records, meaning the transition of power will not begin. (AP)

• Count It Again. There will likely be recounts in many of the close states. However, Trump’s lawsuits would have to overturn vote counts in three states (one being PA) in order to change the outcome of the election. 

• Do Recounts Matter? On average, recounts change the final outcome by about 430 votes in either direction; the largest margin shift ever in a recount was 0.11% in a statewide race. While that’s below the margin needed to flip any of the states Trump needs to win, record turnout could lead to a record recount. (Axios)

• The Investigations Begin. Attorney General Bill Barr has instructed the DOJ to investigate all substantial election fraud claims. This has caused the Election Crimes’ Branch Director to resign over concerns that the move is partisan. 

• Third Party. As it stands, the majority of fraud allegations have yet to be substantiated. (AP) The Organization of American States, an international observer that Trump appointed to oversee ballot counting, declared that they did not directly observe any counts of voter fraud. (WSJ)

NARRATIVES

Katherine Chuang

Here are the narratives from both sides, along with supporting headlines and article snippets. These are not necessarily factual, but instead illustrate the news coverage that solidifies each narrative. The bias ratings refer to news outlets as a whole, not a specific article.

If you're reading on mobile, the Right's narrative will appear above the Left's. Next week, we'll switch it up.

Sometimes, the news gets it right. Here are two instances of biased outlets that reported with civility by conceding a point to the other side's narrative.

BOTTOM LINE

What Does It All Mean?

Even though many have anointed Joe Biden as the president-elect, Trump still has a slight chance of victory through litigation. Regardless, this election will be finalized on January 6th when Congress counts the certified Electoral College votes (AP). Unless the Trump camp presents substantiating evidence, Biden will most likely remain President-elect and be sworn into office on January 20, 2021.

• If your news outlets lean left, you see very little evidence that there was any fraud, and instead view Trump as a sore loser who can’t give up his grip on the GOP. You’ll see a fundamental problem with Republicans accepting Congressional election results from the same ballots where they think Biden cheated. You’re more than happy to accept Joe Biden as the rightful winner of the White House.

• If your news outlets lean right, you see a lot of legitimate reasons to be skeptical of Joe Biden as the President-Elect; just because the mainstream media calls an election doesn’t mean it’s over. Between the claims of fraud, irregularities, and razor thin margins in a lot of states (and Democrat-run cities), you’ll see a slew of questions that need answering before a winner is actually finalized.

This is just the election that keeps on giving. Biden has claimed victory and wants to start the transition process, while Trump has yet to concede the election. The Trump campaign has called for recounts in almost all battleground states. He awaits the results of multiple lawsuits, alleging various failures in the vote counting system. Most notably, they refer to alleged ballot machine errors in multiple states and the legality of counting mail-in ballots after election day in PA. So far, Trump’s lawyers were successful in another Pennsylvania case that allowed election observers to stand closer than six feet away from ballot counting. That being said, there has yet to be a significant legal decision that would dramatically shift the results of the election. Some of the lawsuits have been already shut down by various state courts.

While legal experts are doubtful that litigation will be able to overturn the margins in swing states, the Senate majority is still very much in play. With the Democratic contender conceding the race in North Carolina and the Alaska race all but over, control of the Senate will come down to two runoff elections in Georgia on January 5. The Republicans currently hold 50 seats, and will cement a majority with one win in the Georgia runoff election. While the White House appears to be a more significant win (if it stands), it’ll be difficult for Biden to get many of his policy priorities passed with a Republican-controlled Senate.

The Presidential race will hopefully wrap up soon, so we can all focus on the next act of the seemingly never-ending election show: The Georgia Run-Off.

Now that you understand more about the election, you're ready to take the next step.

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