Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris on Saturday November 7 after AP called the election as the winner
The election finalized its results nearly a month ago, that does not mean that everything related to it is over. However, this week-long event did not fathom with President Donald Trump, who filed lawsuits in several key states citing claims of voting fraud and election tampering. All of this is to say that this election cycle has been far from a normal one.
When it comes to getting a better picture of this election and clearing up some of its misconceptions, Saint Xavier University Political Science Professor Elizabeth Alejo addressed a few questions on the topic. Alejo began by saying, “One thing that made this election distinct from others is the pandemic, which forced the campaigns into new modes of voter outreach. Particularly for the Democratic Party, many of their outreach was virtual, and they did not engage as much indirect canvassing. The Republican Party did a greater mix, moving some voter mobilization outreach virtually; however, they continued to hold rallies and canvass—it was a much more traditional campaign structure.”
She then added, “The pandemic also changed the election because it forced states to take on new approaches for handling ballots. So many states created provisions for expanding vote-by-mail. This has slowed counting of the vote, and if anything really put a spotlight on the power of states in managing their elections.”
While on the topic of voter turnout, Alejo has this to say, “In the lead-up to the election, the amount of early voting that was going on provided some indication that voter turnout was going to be high. However, an estimated 66.7 percent of the eligible population came out to vote (according to the United States Elections Project), which is a little surprising, and encouraging. Of course, voter turnout is highest during presidential cycles, so we shall see to what extent it drops for 2022.”
Alejo expanded on this when it came to the record turnout of this past election, implying that, “The uncertainty of the moment might have played a part. The spread of COVID-19 accelerated as Election Day drew near. Those that have been critical of the Trump Administration’s response might have been encouraged to participate. More generally, though, voter enthusiasm was pretty high among the bases for either party. Both Democratic and Republican, the party die-hards were mobilized this time around. While enthusiasm from President Trump’s base of support has not really wavered, in 2016, many Democrats stayed home. Finally, we cannot discount the participation from Gen Z—Gen Z is big, and their share of eligible voters is growing.”
When it came to the topic of any surprises by the election, Alejo mentioned, “The election results bucked the notion of a blue wave, rather than a blue wave, results kept most things the same.” As well as saying, “If we look at the national level, the House of Representatives pretty much maintained the same party divide, same goes for the Senate. The biggest change from the election was the change in party control of the presidency.” She finished by adding, “Though not a precise indicator if we consider presidential approval ratings, President Trump’s approval rating has consistently hovered between 40-45 percent—that 47 percent of the electorate voted for President Trump is not a huge surprise.”
Another important aspect of this election has been President Trump’s reaction to the election by calling for states to stop counting votes and his refusal to concede after the Associated Press called the election in favor of Former Vice President Joe Biden.
Alejo’s response to President Trump’s reaction to the election was, “Well, if we consider that the President appeared to have a lead over Biden at the end of election night, and we traditionally have projected winners on election night, it makes sense.”
Alejo continued, “Vote-by-mail had not been counted in many states at by the end of the night on Election Day. We expected vote-by-mail to lean Democratic; it makes sense that he would seek to declare victory while he appeared to be in the lead before vote-by-mail returns came in.”
As for President Trump’s unwillingness to concede from the election, Alejo had this to say, “It is unusual because the losers of presidential races usually concede when it becomes apparent that they lost the election. He has been holding out because he is still contesting the election results.”
One of the other parts of the election that should be noted is the distinction between the Associated Press calling the election and the electoral college voting on the election. Alejo was able to help clarify this by explaining, “The biggest difference is that the AP calls the election based on estimates. They will usually call the race by a state once they think that enough votes have been counted and one of the candidates has a definite lead. This helps them project what they expect the electoral college math will look like.”
She continued, “Meanwhile, the electoral college uses the finalized vote tallies of their states. States are represented by electors in the Electoral College to formally vote for the president. Most states award all of their electors to whoever ended up winning the majority of the popular vote in the state.”
While on the subject of the Electoral College, Alejo explained its purpose as, “The purpose of the Electoral College was to insulate the presidency. It has also served to level the playing field across the states. It gives a voice to lower-population states. One criticism that is often cited against the electoral college is that it has the potential to go against the national-level popular vote. However, electoral college votes are for the most part allocated in accord with the popular vote within each of the 50 states.”
The last thing Alejo mentioned was regarding the importance of still paying attention to news about the election, going as far as to say, “The transition period is a very important one, and because of the legal challenges that President Trump has been raising, it is not over just yet. Beyond that, the transition period sets up the next President—this is when we get a glimpse at how his administration will govern.