Important Matters on Eve of U.S. Elections
People Stand at the Ready for Election Results
- Voice of Revolution - 
June 19, 2020. International Longshore and Warehouse Union holds
Juneteenth walkout and march in Oakland and other ports.
November 3 is Election Day and people are standing at the ready for the
results. One main result expected is that neither presidential
candidate will be declared the winner on election night due to the
large number of mail-in ballots as a result of the pandemic. As of the
morning of November 2, more than 95 million people have already voted
including tens of millions by
mail-in ballot. Some states are unable to start counting them until
election day.
At least six of these states could go either way -- Arizona,
Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In
Arizona, Florida and North Carolina votes can be counted before
election day. In Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin they cannot. As
well, for many states, mail-in ballots can be accepted for several days after
the
election. The six states that could go either way account for
a total of 101 electoral college votes, with 270 necessary to secure
election. If the results are close then it will not be possible to
announce a winner, whether Trump or Biden.
Trump said on October 26 that the presidential contest "must have
final total on November 3." He has also continued reiterating his claim
that given the number of mail-in ballots, the election will be a fraud
that he will not accept unless he is the winner. He has threatened use
of federal forces and the military if there is resistance to him
disputing the results and claiming he will not leave office. On
November 1 he said his lawyers will challenge vote counts as soon as
polls close November 3, indicating he may try a legal route first.
The
general anger with the whole election process this year is such that
people are anticipating a disputed election and they are standing ready
to go into action. The 70,000 member Rochester Labor Council passed a
resolution October 8 calling for a general strike if Trump does not
respect the outcome of the election. Rochester Labor Council President
Dan Maloney helped lead a six-week strike at GM in 2019. He said the
council hoped the resolution would spark a national conversation. The
resolution said in part that the council "stands firmly in opposition
to any effort to subvert, distort, misrepresent or disregard the final
outcome of the 2020 Presidential elections." It also spoke to the
"diminished" quality of existing institutions and demanded that the
courts not be used to determine the results. AFL-CIO
head Richard Trumka has said, "Democracies are not guaranteed by judges
or lawyers. The survival of our democratic republic depends on us."
Speaking about Pennsylvania, he said: "Millions of commonwealth voters,
not nine court justices, will decide the 2020 election." This
is an indication that if disputed vote counts go as far as the Supreme
Court, workers and their unions will not accept it. The call for a general strike comes at a time when strike levels are
high, with 1,160 strikes since March. The high number of strikes is partly due to the
strength of the broad movement for equality and rights, anger with
unsafe COVID-19 conditions and the strong stand among workers that they
are upholding their social responsibilities and government has a duty
to do the same. While there are without doubt various views about the elections and
the existing democracy, what is clear is that workers are organizing as
a social force to play a role in the political life of the country.
Their role is not just one of voting, producing and consuming but of
having a leading role in deciding the direction of the country. That is
the
significance of the call for a general strike.
 In
addition, a coalition of many coalitions has been formed, called Protect
the Results. It has already announced more than 470 actions planned,
potentially as early as November 4. The Coalition states: "In the event
that Donald Trump loses the election and refuses to concede or
undermines the results, the Protect the Results partner network will
activate their members and take coordinated action to protect our
democracy." The organizations involved include unions like the Service
Employees International Union and the Communications Workers of America
that include many frontline workers, Black Lives Matter,
as well as organizations of environmentalists, youth, immigrant rights and anti-war activists and many others.
More than 160 coalitions and organizations are involved in major cities
across the country, south and north.
Various other organizations are also preparing to be at the polls to
defend the right to vote and also afterwards if there is a dispute. It
is evident from the stand of many involved that the issue is not
simply Trump, but rather that people must have a greater role to play
in deciding the future. Many are already active in the struggle for
justice and equality as well as for health care and housing given the
COVID-19 pandemic. There is increasing debate as to what the phrase
"our
democracy" actually means. Many are rejecting the existing set-up that
excludes candidates from third parties, produces candidates people do
not like, makes it difficult for workers to run and be elected,
continues to suppress voters in many ways and, overall, keeps the
people out of power.
Debates are also taking place about gaining control over policing
and budgets and the necessity for a democracy created by the people and
serving their interests. Actions demanding accountability after
November 3 are geared to further raise this necessity in people's minds
and fight for it. 
Voice of Revolution is a publication of the U.S. Marxist-Leninist
Organization.
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 7 - November 2, 2020
Volume [volume] Number [issue] - [date]
Article Link:
Important Matters on Eve of U.S. Elections: People Stand at the Ready for Election Results - Voice of Revolution
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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