Don’t Forget, There is an Election in 154 Days

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, there has been a major shift in news coverage, as expected. Most Americans are closely following news related to the pandemic. Now, PolySue also wants her COVID-19 news. I still scroll Twitter and read my usual sources, watch my network nightly newscast of choice, and regularly refer to my state and city government websites for up-to-date policies. Though, what I notice, and what bothers me, is that network and 24-hour news channels seem to have forgotten something very important: we have an election in 161 days (at the time this column was written). 

For many (and I admit I am included in the many), November 8, 2016 marked a countdown to November 3, 2020. 1,456 days. 34,940 hours. 125.8 million seconds. We waited, and waited, and donated, and protested, all in the hopes of a shift in November 2020. Now, we didn’t wait until 2020 to start our revenge. As I wrote for CTC in September, while we lost much in 2016, we also made important gains. Those gains continued in the 2018 midterm election, as well as state elections across the country through 2019. Now, the old, white, rich man is emerging from the Democratic primary to take on the old, white, rich incumbent president, BUT, there is good news to report. Here are some stats:

  1. According to the Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University, so far, 497 women are running for seats in the US House of Representatives and 50 women are running for the Senate.

  2. While there are still far more Democratic women running, a trend that always persists, there are a record number of Republican women running. For example, of the 197 Republicans serving in the House, only 13 are women. The Republican party has mounted a concerted effort to diversify its 2020 candidates. 

  3. There is also an uptick in rebound candidates – candidate who lost in the previous election and run again. 15% of female candidates who lost in 2018 across federal and statewide offices are likely to run again in 2020 (CAWP).

It is not surprising this, and other election-related items, are not getting more media attention for three reasons (two usual, one unusual):

  1. Attention to minoritized candidates ebbs and flows, as opposed to dominating coverage 

  2. Coverage of congressional races pales in comparison to coverage of the presidential race

  3. THERE IS A GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS SUCKING ALL OF THE OXYGEN OUT OF THE AIRWAVES

Now, to be fair, when the governor of Ohio tried to push the primary a day before it was scheduled, and it was upheld at the Ohio Supreme Court, it got media attention. When the governor of Wisconsin tried to postpone in-person voting in the primary, and state legislators took it to the state Supreme Court and successfully overturned it, it got media attention. When New York flat out cancelled its Democratic presidential primary, it got media attention. More recently, there have been stories about President Trump’s attack on mail-in voting. While these stories remind us of the November elections, they can also cast doubt on the legitimacy of our electoral process. It is important to note here, that President Trumps claims about rampant voter fraud in mail-in voting are demonstrably false. Per usual, he gets a “Pants on Fire.”

Other than those instances, though, it is like we have forgotten that the cornerstone of our democracy rests on an election no one is talking about, one that television media has all but stopped covering. Now, again, you may ask, “But, PolySue, don’t most people get their news from the internet anyway?” Well, I’m so glad you asked! According to Pew Research Center, as of 2018, 34% of Americans prefer to get their news online, but TV remains the most popular source of news at 44%. If the television media is not covering the elections, and most people are not following Politico, The Hill, and FiveThirtyEight on Twitter (like yours truly), the oversaturation of COVID-19 coverage leaves little-to-no room to remember not only that there is an election in November, but what is at stake. 

So, what is at stake? The progress made since 2016 could be (partially) undone in November. For example, every member of the House of Representatives is up for reelection. The Democratic majority in the House is only 18. Eighteen seats separate which party holds control of the chamber AND research is clear that the most difficult race for a sitting member to win is their very first reelection race. So, some of those 41 net seats the Democrats gained in 2018 may be difficult to retain. Quite frankly, with the recent volatility of House election results, the Democrat’s ability to control the House is at stake. 

In the Senate, 1/3 of the senators are up for reelection every two years. In 2018, the Republicans padded their majority by one seat because more Democrats were up for reelection in states that are not “locks” to elect Democrats (i.e. Missouri, North Dakota and Indiana). This year, though, the map is less friendly for Republicans, as 23 Republicans are defending their seats, compared to 12 Democrats. Moreover, states like Colorado and North Carolina provide Democrats opportunities to pick up seats, and, since the Republicans only have a four-seat majority, possibly the majority. The balance of power in the Senate is at stake. 

Since COVID-19, we have also seen the power of governors. Currently, there are 26 Republican governors and 24 Democratic ones, and there are 11 gubernatorial elections this year. It is worth noting that ALL nine incumbents running are white men, but five women are running in the 2020 general election. Governors have state executive power, much like presidents have national executive power, and we have seen this in full force in the last three months. As an Illinois resident myself, how Governor Pritzker has handled the pandemic has been markedly different from let’s say Georgia’s Brian Kemp or South Dakota’s Kristi Noem. If you live in one of those 11 states, how you live your life in the midst of pandemic is at stake. 

The biggest “prize,” of course, and the one that is getting pretty much the only coverage, is the presidency. President Trump has the benefit of a national audience at the drop of a hat to actively run for reelection from his press room, a mask manufacturing plant or TV news shows. Meanwhile, presumptive Democratic candidate Biden is running from his basement! It is easy to forget there is even a candidate battling Trump, except for much reduced coverage of Tara Reade’s sexual assault allegations, and his under-covered (in my opinion) comment to a black radio host, “Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black.” Who is mobilized to turn out for (or against) Trump or Biden in November has what we call down-ballot effects. If more Democrats, Democratic-leaners, and Independents turn out to vote for Biden, that affects how many votes there are for other Democrats on the ballot (House, Senate, governor, etc.), and vice versa for Trump and Republican candidates. Let’s also remember that there are two Supreme Court justices in their mid-to-late 80s, and whoever controls the White House and the Senate affects who will fill those vacancies (God, please protect #NotoriousRBG). 

Well, CTC fam, now what? If you’re like me, you don’t want to be sitting on your couch on November 4, 2020 crying into your champagne and starting a new countdown until 2024. Now, more than ever, we need elected officials who care about public health, science, income inequity, and global partnerships. Do not let this opportunity slip away! Here are PolySue’s tips:

  1. First, if you are not registered to vote, do it! Start the process here.

  2. Educate yourself on what’s on your ballot. You can see what races and initiatives are on your address-specific ballot here.

  3. Educate yourself on the issues, candidates, and policies you care about. You can see what positions elected officials have and how they have voted here. 

  4. Don’t know how you are allowed to vote in your state (early voting, absentee voting with or without a reason, etc.)? You can find out here. 

  5. If you know you do not want to go to the polls in November in anticipation of a second wave of COVID-19, request an absentee ballot as soon as you are allowed! Request it, get it, and fill it out early to make sure it is in and counted! See rules, and request here.

  6. Need information about your state’s COVID-19 related election changes? Check here.

  7. If you live in a state that does not have generous absentee balloting, or is pushing back against mail-in voting, contact your state legislators and even your governor. Start a petition with signatures from those in your community (do this safely, of course) demanding expanded voting options, or sign an existing one. 

  8. Encourage others to do 1-8!

Make PolySue proud ☺

Author: Suzanne Chod

Coffee till Champange