Now that the United States presidential elections are over and have ended with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris being declared the winners, the next step is ensuring a smooth and peaceful transition of powers. Our friends at Campaign Nonviolence: A Project of Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service have put together relevant information which we will share below.
November 9, 2020:
Congratulations on all you and your communities did to defend democracy through nonviolence in this critical moment. Now, in this same spirit, we must continue our vigil to see that the will of the people is protected and that an orderly and nonviolent transition to a new administration takes place.
As of this writing, Donald Trump has refused to concede the election. While he’s not legally required to do so, it does raise serious concerns. Many Republican leaders, including the Senate Majority Leader, are supporting the current government’s tactics. We will see what happens in the next few days, but we may be facing an unprecedented constitutional crisis. In which case, all of us may be called on to take the next step of active nonviolence.
Between now and January, we have numerous hurdles to cross. We can do it, but we need to be prepared. Hold the Line has called for #30DaysOfVigilance and Pace e Bene agrees that staying awake, alert, and mobilized is a sound strategy for defending democracy.
We are not alone. 5,000 people are prepared to take nonviolent action to #HoldTheLine. The Election Defenders are bridging from #JoyToThePolls to #JoyToThePeople and bringing nonviolent de-escalation to marches, rallies, and demonstrations. See how Philadelphia used dance to change the atmosphere during a recent protest. Choose Democracy encourages us to stay aware and engaged, but take a deep breath and remember to have fun occasionally.
As our colleague, Kazu Haga says: “Yes, be happy. Yes, celebrate. Yes, take a breath. AND, let’s also not kid ourselves, many of us knew that it was what happens FROM THIS POINT FORWARD that was our biggest concern… So yeah, let’s celebrate and dance in the streets and send congratulatory messages…. But let’s also stay vigilant and keep organizing…”
What can we do?
Hold The Line has helpfully prepared detailed notes on this post-election timeframe and what we should do. Your next action step should be to read them: https://bit.ly/
Here are a few more actions you can take:
- Correct misinformation wherever you see/hear it.
- Show appreciation to election officials and vote counters.
- Continue to pressure Trump’s supporters (Republican office holders, media, etc.) to back off from his unfounded claims, and instead align with the popular vote. #WeDecided
- Study the next steps of the election process and prepare contingency plans with your affinity group. (See the helpful timeline below.)
- Keep saying #CountEveryVote, but add #WeDecided, #RespectTheVote, and #EveryVoteIsSacred
- Push back on Trump’s frivolous lawsuits in the court of public opinion. We’re all for legal challenges to unfair situations, but when a candidate uses hyped-up charges to stall and delay the election process and to cast doubt on its integrity – that’s an affront to democracy.
- Start thinking through what your affinity group might do if Trump tries to win through his stacked Supreme Court. One suggestion is getting Trump appointees to recuse themselves from any decision having to do with Trump’s presidential chances. #Recuse
Pace e Bene remains committed to nonviolence, democracy, and the elections process. Thanks for standing in solidarity with us!
– Rivera, Ryan, Ken, Veronica, and the Pace e Bene Team
Here’s the timeline:
Now-Mid November – Count & Recount: We can support the integrity of this process by uplifting the message #CountEveryVote
Now-Mid November – Lawsuits: Remember, we support legitimate lawsuits and a transparent elections process. We don’t support using the courts to try to stall and delay the election process over rumors and misinformation.
Dec 8 – Safe Harbor Date & Certifying the Elections: Each state needs to certify the results of the elections. On Dec 8th, whatever results the state has become the official results, even if they haven’t certified them for some reason; this is known as the Safe Harbor Date.
Dec 8 – The Electoral Slate: Electors to the Electoral College typically swear a pledge to uphold the decision of the popular vote – but there are “faithless electors”, those who defy the mandate. The Electoral College votes on Dec 14. As of this moment, Biden is projected to have at least 279 Electoral College votes, but we want to make sure electors remain faithful to the demonstrated will of the people.
Dec 14 – Electoral College Votes: We’re all hoping the electoral college will simply uphold the Biden/Harris popular vote victory – but the electors are not all required by law to do so. Certain states will need to make sure the chosen electors commit to doing this and that an alternate slate of electors isn’t chosen.
Jan 6 – Newly-Seated Congress Accepts EC Votes: Members of the House and Senate can contest the Electoral College results on the day of the vote. (We’re not expecting to see this, but it’s good to be aware of.)
Want the nitty-gritty? Here’s the step-by-step timeline from congress.gov:https://
