truthout--2020-11-05--Record Latinx Turnout Boosted Biden — White Voters Are the Ones Who Leaned Trump

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden appears to be inching toward victory as counting continues in several key states that could put him over 270 electoral votes , the threshold needed to win the Electoral College and take the White House .
President Trump and his supporters , meanwhile , have attacked the process and falsely claimed Democrats are stealing the election , and the Trump campaign has launched a barrage of legal challenges in swing states related to ballot counting .
With the results closer than many pollsters had predicted , Democracy Now !
co-host Juan González says “ a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Latinx voters were primarily to blame for the weak Democratic result .
“ The main story is that people of color , especially Latinos , flocked to the polls in numbers that far exceeded what the experts had expected , while the total number of votes cast by white Americans barely increased from the last presidential election , ” says González .
“ How come none of the experts are asking why white voters underperformed the Democratic Party ?
” This is a rush transcript .
Copy may not be in its final @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominee Joe Biden is closing in on securing enough electoral votes to win the election , after news outlets projected him winning two key states in the Midwest : Wisconsin and Michigan .
According to the Associated Press , Biden has now secured 264 electoral votes .
He will reach the needed 270 if he wins any of the four undecided races : Nevada , Georgia , North Carolina or Pennsylvania .
Biden briefly spoke on Wednesday .
AMY GOODMAN : Trump made multiple false claims on Wednesday , suggesting Democrats are stealing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump wrote on Twitter he was claiming , for electoral vote purposes , the states of Pennsylvania , Georgia , North Carolina and Michigan , even as votes are still being counted .
The Trump campaign also filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania , Michigan and Georgia , and has requested a recount in Wisconsin .
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf criticized the Trump campaign ’ s lawsuit .
AMY GOODMAN : To talk more about the election and to look at who turned out to vote in this historic election , we ’ re joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Juan González , who ’ s been closely looking at who turned out to vote .
He ’ s joining us from New Brunswick , New Jersey , where he ’ s a professor at Rutgers University .
So , Juan , it is astounding , what has taken place in this country .
We are talking about a record-smashing number of voters .
It is believed over 150 million people voted .
Can you talk about the demographics of the vote ?
In the last days , the main narrative has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November 3rd , that African Americans and Latinos were not coming out to vote for Joe Biden to the extent that it was believed they would be .
But this is a narrative right now you are refuting .
Can you talk about your findings ?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Yes , Amy .
And I ’ ve been poring over the numbers and trying to make sense of what happened in this election .
And this developing narrative that Latinos and , to some extent , African Americans shifted more toward Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Joe Biden and the Democratic Party , I believe , is a largely false narrative .
I think the main story of this election , as you mentioned that saw record turnout — we won ’ t have the exact numbers , but it looks like about 158 , 59 , 160 million people — close to 160 million people voted .
The main story is that people of color , especially Latinos , flocked to the polls in numbers that far exceeded what the experts had expected , while the total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ barely increased from the last presidential election , and , most importantly , that white voters , including white women , voted at higher percentages for Trump this year than they did in 2016 .
So , how come none of the experts are asking why white voters underperformed the Democratic Party ?
And let me be a little bit more specific .
There does appear to have been some areas of the country where there was an increase in the percentage of the Latino vote for Donald Trump , specifically in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Miami-Dade County , both of which , I should note , for those people who know the voting patterns of the Latino community , have always been relatively conservative areas of the Latino community in terms of voting .
Even though South Texas is largely Democratic , it ’ s always been a moderate to centrist or conservative Democratic voting bastion .
But my analysis of the numbers shows a completely different story when you look at the country as a whole .
And I ’ m doing this based on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use , which is the Edison national election poll , which has always been — it ’ s been criticized in the past precisely because it doesn ’ t give correct numbers or doesn ’ t give valid numbers on the Latino community , but it ’ s still the only massive exit poll that we have , until we get more scientific studies that come maybe months later or a year later .
So , first of all , the historic turnout , right ?
If we take the number of 159 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people voted , so we ’ re talking about an increase of 23 million voters compared to the last election — phenomenal increase .
Who were those 23 million people , and where did they come from ?
So , I think — I have a chart here .
I hope the producers are able to put it up here .
But you ’ ll see that , according to the exit polls , 13 % of the vote came from Latino voters , Latino Americans .
That represents 20.6 million Latinos voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incredible increase , 65 % over the last election , which was already a record for Latinos when it was only 12.6 % .
For the first time in U.S. history , because Latinos have never voted at more than 50 % of the eligible population — they ’ ve always been 45 , 46 or even less — for the first time , about two-thirds of the eligible Latinos came to the polls .
Eight million more Latinos voted in this election than voted in the last election .
Then come the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Asian American community , 3.6 million more votes than voted in 2016 .
And then African Americans also had an increase .
They went from 17.1 million who voted in 2016 to 19 million , about 1.9 million .
So that ’ s an increase , but it ’ s not as increased as you might have expect after a year or two years now of massive racial justice protests and the pioneering candidacy of Kamala Harris , but it ’ s still an increase .
So , what about white voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but a diminishing portion ?
In 2016 , 100 million whites voted in the election .
In this election , 103 million voted — just 2.7 million increase in the total white vote in the country .
So , the bulk of the increase of the vote in this election came from people of color , largely Latinos .
So , now people say , “ Well , but there was a slight percentage increase among African Americans and Latinos for Trump.
” Well , percentages don ’ t win elections .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s what you ’ ve got to understand .
Would you rather have 70 % of 12 million votes , or would you rather have 68 % of 20 million votes ?
The increase has been so large , whereas the percentages have stayed roughly the same , that there has been — there was enormous increase in the vote by Asian Americans , Latino Americans and African Americans for Biden and the Democratic Party .
Why was this ?
And I think the enthusiasm and the turnout of the Latinx @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constant Republican scapegoating and attacks on Latinos , from the disastrous response to Hurricane Maria for the Puerto Rican community , to family separations , and also to the terrible response of the Trump administration to the coronavirus .
And it is why Arizona and Nevada and Colorado are likely , it seems , to go for Joe Biden .
And what has happened now is that there is a new Brown Belt voting bloc that is developing in the Southwest , that includes Arizona , Nevada , Colorado , New Mexico , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So , the real underperformers in this election were white voters , who not only did not have a qualitative increase in their vote totals — they dropped from 71 % of the electorate to 65 % of the electorate — but they voted in an even higher percentage for Trump this time than last time or than they did for John McCain in 2008 .
And this is especially true among white women .
So , now , how is this possible , given the years now of sexual — of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his denigrating of women , his family separation policies , that white women increased the percentage of the vote that they gave to Donald Trump ?
What ’ s up with that ?
Why are all the commentators not dissecting what the heck is going on in white America and with white women in America ?
Unfortunately , it seems to me , looking at the numbers , there is no gender gap .
There ’ s a racial gender gap , in that African American and Latino women are voting so overwhelmingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white women .
And I think that needs to be analyzed more .
And finally , I think the key issue here is that the United States , being the world ’ s prime imperialist power , with no real competition , no real adversaries who threaten it , and only China who can compete economically with the United States , that we are a country that is increasingly moving to a situation where the Republican Party is moving more and more to be the party of white people in America , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party of the new multiracial majority of the American people .
That ’ s what I take from the results of this election , no matter who ends up actually winning the election or what happens with the Senate or what happens with the Congress .
It ’ s the developing trends in the electorate of America that are showing enormous racial division between the two parties and who they represent .
AMY GOODMAN : That ’ s Juan González , Democracy Now !
co-host and professor at Rutgers University , doing a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re waiting to hear who has won the presidency in the United States , into the data .
And , Juan , maybe you can talk about the kinds of narratives that developed over 2016 , the misinformation that continues to this day about who votes , like the more than half of white women who voted for Trump in 2016 .
You ’ re exploding all of this .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Yes .
Well , the exit polls were actually — last time around , were considerably off on the women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Pew Center , later on , and several other groups did more extensive studies and found that in the 2016 election there was roughly an even vote between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton when it came to white women .
I think was 47 to 48 % , because , of course , there were third-party candidates back in 2016 that took a portion of the women ’ s vote , as well .
So , it was 47 to 48 .
This time around , there is a clear majority that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump .
And I don ’ t think that there ’ s been any real analysis of what ’ s happened there , and certainly no questioning by any of the political commentators that I ’ ve seen of why has Trump ’ s support among white women increased since 2016 , and I think that — while it has not , or barely , increased among African American and Latina women .
I think that that is something that ’ s really got to be looked at .
You know , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , if you look at the historical trends , it ’ s about two-thirds of Latinos , going back to George Bush — George Bush was the last Republican candidate that was able to get 40 % of the Latino vote .
And Ronald Reagan , back in the ’ 80s , got about 40 % of the Latino vote .
But back then , it was a much smaller pie .
It was a much smaller vote .
Now it ’ s a much bigger vote .
And so , when you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 30 % as a Republican candidate , that ’ s really not a substantial change in the vote .
You ’ ve got to get up into the 35 or 40 % , where you can claim there ’ s actual real movement occurring in the Latino community .
So , the historical trend has been Republicans generally get about between 25 to 35 % of the Latino vote , because , remember , Latinos are a very disparate group .
They ’ re many nationalities .
Because of migration , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying , “ Well , South Florida voted more for Trump.
” Well , the South Florida of today is not the same South Florida of 10 years ago , because South Florida has increasingly become the base area for all conservative Latin Americans , whether they are Nicaraguans fleeing social change in Nicaragua , Colombians , increasingly Venezuelans , and , of course , the old-style Cuban community .
It is the refuge area for all people fleeing social upheaval and social revolution in Latin America .
So it ’ s no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative increase of the Latino vote in South Florida .
And that ’ s not a surprise at all .
It ’ s only a surprise to the people who don ’ t pay attention to the evolution and the dynamics of the Latinx community across the country .
But I think the key area is what ’ s happened in Wisconsin , what happened in Pennsylvania , what ’ s happened in the Midwest , what ’ s happened in Arizona , Nevada , where the bulk of the Latinx community exists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — where the bulk of the Latinx community lives and votes .
AMY GOODMAN : Juan , I wanted to ask you about Native Americans .
I was communicating with someone last night from Standing Rock Sioux Tribe , and they were talking about the big story in Wisconsin around Native Americans , although it is harder to track — is that right ?
— because of who ’ s identified demographically and who isn ’ t .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Yes .
Well , I think , certainly , the Native American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Montana and also in Arizona , has probably played a very big role in Arizona , along with the Latinx community .
People talk about Maricopa County as being decisive in what happens in Arizona .
Well , Maricopa County is 31 % Latino .
And so , it ’ s the biggest county , and it has a very big share of the vote there .
So , I think that — but in Arizona especially , I think , and in a few other states , the Native American vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard numbers is going to take some time , because the sample that these pollsters use is so small that it ’ s going to take a lot more digging to get the actual results .
NERMEEN SHAIKH : Well , Juan , even though , as you say , it ’ s very surprising that white women voters voted for him in greater — for Trump in greater numbers in this election than they did in 2016 , given Trump ’ s consistent assaults on women of all kinds , I guess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also the fact — I mean , Trump did win over 60 million votes , 68 million votes — that given what he ’ s done and said to and about African Americans , Asian Americans , the Latinx communities , that any increase — first of all , that any people would vote for him , and on top of that , that there would be an increase at all , even if marginal .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Yes , well , I agree with you , Nermeen .
I think the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s why I raise the nature of U.S. imperialism .
I do not think that we should underestimate the reality , because everyone knew why they were voting in this election .
There was no — there were very few undecided voters .
And I think one of the things that still has to be answered is how , once again , the polls were so wrong , not about necessarily about the vote for Joe Biden , because most of the polls gave Joe Biden about 51 , 51 , sometimes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50 , which is more or less what he ’ s been getting , but that there was a severe underestimation in all the polls , once again , of how many Americans were voting for Trump .
And I think that we ’ ve got to understand , increasingly , these polls are highly suspect and can not be trusted .
But I think the key thing to understand is that , unfortunately — and I ’ ve been saying this now for years , when I get a chance to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is that there is a significant portion of the American people , including among African Americans and Latinos and other groups , who are perfectly happy with the United States being the world ’ s imperial power , and who , to some degree or other , believe that they are invested in the continued national chauvinism and expansionism and bullying of America around the world .
So , this vote also represents , even if Joe Biden wins , that there are many Americans who are perfectly happy with our country being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lording over the rest of the world and insisting that its interests are first .
There is a national chauvinist movement in America and a movement that believes authoritarianism is the way to go .
We can not underestimate this , and hopefully the progressives will attempt to organize , understanding that .
And the work that has to be done , though , is in the white community , is in among white Americans .
That ’ s where the organizing needs to be done , because that is the population that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a national chauvinist and a white supremacist view of the world .
And I don ’ t think that we can sweep that under the rug and act like it ’ s not happening , because it is happening .
And that ’ s , I think , the key lesson , that , yes , Donald Trump got more votes this time than he got last time , and there ’ s a reason for that .
NERMEEN SHAIKH : And , Juan , I mean , as you say , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the moment , 4 million more votes this year in this election than he did in 2016 .
And in 2016 , when he won , there was almost universal consensus that he was an aberration — in other words , he was eccentric to what the Republican Party had been , what it stands for — whereas it ’ s not really possible to hold that position now .
JUAN GONZÁLEZ : Right , because I believe that he ’ s an aberration in his personal conduct and in the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not in the policies that he is implementing .
The policies that he is implementing are pretty much in lockstep with conservative Republican policies that have been developing for decades .
And that is why so many Republicans , who really can ’ t stomach the man , still vote for him , because he is implementing the policies that they believe is where the country should go , whether it ’ s deregulation , whether it ’ s on the climate crisis , whether it ’ s on immigration and so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the policies on taxes .
He ’ s implementing the policies that the conservative Republican establishment want .
It ’ s just that he does it in such a corrupt , venal and personal manner that it ’ s hard to stomach him at the same time .
AMY GOODMAN : Juan González , we want to thank you for being with us — see you tomorrow on Democracy Now !
— Democracy Now !
co-host and professor at Rutgers University , speaking to us today from New Brunswick , New Jersey .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ come back , we head to Phoenix , Arizona , Arizona a key battleground state .
It was red .
Is it turning blue ?
Stay with us .

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden appears to be inching toward victory as counting continues in several key states that could put him over 270 electoral votes, the threshold needed to win the Electoral College and take the White House. President Trump and his supporters, meanwhile, have attacked the process and falsely claimed Democrats are stealing the election, and the Trump campaign has launched a barrage of legal challenges in swing states related to ballot counting. With the results closer than many pollsters had predicted, Democracy Now! co-host Juan González says “a false narrative” is taking root that Latinx voters were primarily to blame for the weak Democratic result. “The main story is that people of color, especially Latinos, flocked to the polls in numbers that far exceeded what the experts had expected, while the total number of votes cast by white Americans barely increased from the last presidential election,” says González. “How come none of the experts are asking why white voters underperformed the Democratic Party?”
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is closing in on securing enough electoral votes to win the election, after news outlets projected him winning two key states in the Midwest: Wisconsin and Michigan. According to the Associated Press, Biden has now secured 264 electoral votes. He will reach the needed 270 if he wins any of the four undecided races: Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina or Pennsylvania. Biden briefly spoke on Wednesday.
JOE BIDEN: And now, after a long night of counting, it’s clear that we’re winning enough states to reach 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. I’m not here to declare that we’ve won, but I am here to report, when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners.
AMY GOODMAN: Trump made multiple false claims on Wednesday, suggesting Democrats are stealing the election. At one point, Trump wrote on Twitter he was claiming, for electoral vote purposes, the states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan, even as votes are still being counted. The Trump campaign also filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, and has requested a recount in Wisconsin. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf criticized the Trump campaign’s lawsuit.
GOV. TOM WOLF: This afternoon, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit to stop the counting of ballots in Pennsylvania. That is simply wrong. It goes against the most basic principles of our democracy.
AMY GOODMAN: To talk more about the election and to look at who turned out to vote in this historic election, we’re joined by Democracy Now!’s own Juan González, who’s been closely looking at who turned out to vote. He’s joining us from New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he’s a professor at Rutgers University.
So, Juan, it is astounding, what has taken place in this country. We are talking about a record-smashing number of voters. It is believed over 150 million people voted. Can you talk about the demographics of the vote? In the last days, the main narrative has been, before the election final day on November 3rd, that African Americans and Latinos were not coming out to vote for Joe Biden to the extent that it was believed they would be. But this is a narrative right now you are refuting. Can you talk about your findings?
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yes, Amy. And I’ve been poring over the numbers and trying to make sense of what happened in this election. And this developing narrative that Latinos and, to some extent, African Americans shifted more toward Donald Trump in this election, that they underperformed for Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, I believe, is a largely false narrative. I think the main story of this election, as you mentioned that saw record turnout — we won’t have the exact numbers, but it looks like about 158, 59, 160 million people — close to 160 million people voted. The main story is that people of color, especially Latinos, flocked to the polls in numbers that far exceeded what the experts had expected, while the total number of votes cast by white Americans barely increased from the last presidential election, and, most importantly, that white voters, including white women, voted at higher percentages for Trump this year than they did in 2016. So, how come none of the experts are asking why white voters underperformed the Democratic Party?
And let me be a little bit more specific. There does appear to have been some areas of the country where there was an increase in the percentage of the Latino vote for Donald Trump, specifically in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and in the Miami-Dade County, both of which, I should note, for those people who know the voting patterns of the Latino community, have always been relatively conservative areas of the Latino community in terms of voting. Even though South Texas is largely Democratic, it’s always been a moderate to centrist or conservative Democratic voting bastion. But my analysis of the numbers shows a completely different story when you look at the country as a whole.
And I’m doing this based on the exit polls that most of the networks use, which is the Edison national election poll, which has always been — it’s been criticized in the past precisely because it doesn’t give correct numbers or doesn’t give valid numbers on the Latino community, but it’s still the only massive exit poll that we have, until we get more scientific studies that come maybe months later or a year later.
So, first of all, the historic turnout, right? If we take the number of 159 million, last election was 136 million people voted, so we’re talking about an increase of 23 million voters compared to the last election — phenomenal increase. Who were those 23 million people, and where did they come from? So, I think — I have a chart here. I hope the producers are able to put it up here. But you’ll see that, according to the exit polls, 13% of the vote came from Latino voters, Latino Americans. That represents 20.6 million Latinos voted in this election. That is an incredible increase, 65% over the last election, which was already a record for Latinos when it was only 12.6%. For the first time in U.S. history, because Latinos have never voted at more than 50% of the eligible population — they’ve always been 45, 46 or even less — for the first time, about two-thirds of the eligible Latinos came to the polls. Eight million more Latinos voted in this election than voted in the last election.
Then come the Asian Americans, a phenomenal turnout in the Asian American community, 3.6 million more votes than voted in 2016. And then African Americans also had an increase. They went from 17.1 million who voted in 2016 to 19 million, about 1.9 million. So that’s an increase, but it’s not as increased as you might have expect after a year or two years now of massive racial justice protests and the pioneering candidacy of Kamala Harris, but it’s still an increase.
So, what about white voters, the largest sector of the electorate, but a diminishing portion? In 2016, 100 million whites voted in the election. In this election, 103 million voted — just 2.7 million increase in the total white vote in the country.
So, the bulk of the increase of the vote in this election came from people of color, largely Latinos. So, now people say, “Well, but there was a slight percentage increase among African Americans and Latinos for Trump.” Well, percentages don’t win elections. Votes win elections. Right? And that’s what you’ve got to understand. Would you rather have 70% of 12 million votes, or would you rather have 68% of 20 million votes? The increase has been so large, whereas the percentages have stayed roughly the same, that there has been — there was enormous increase in the vote by Asian Americans, Latino Americans and African Americans for Biden and the Democratic Party.
Why was this? And I think the enthusiasm and the turnout of the Latinx community was fueled by four years of constant Republican scapegoating and attacks on Latinos, from the disastrous response to Hurricane Maria for the Puerto Rican community, to family separations, and also to the terrible response of the Trump administration to the coronavirus. And it is why Arizona and Nevada and Colorado are likely, it seems, to go for Joe Biden. And what has happened now is that there is a new Brown Belt voting bloc that is developing in the Southwest, that includes Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and very soon Texas, as well.
So, the real underperformers in this election were white voters, who not only did not have a qualitative increase in their vote totals — they dropped from 71% of the electorate to 65% of the electorate — but they voted in an even higher percentage for Trump this time than last time or than they did for John McCain in 2008. And this is especially true among white women. So, now, how is this possible, given the years now of sexual — of allegations of sexual assault against Trump, his denigrating of women, his family separation policies, that white women increased the percentage of the vote that they gave to Donald Trump? What’s up with that? Why are all the commentators not dissecting what the heck is going on in white America and with white women in America? Unfortunately, it seems to me, looking at the numbers, there is no gender gap. There’s a racial gender gap, in that African American and Latino women are voting so overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party, but not white women. And I think that needs to be analyzed more.
And finally, I think the key issue here is that the United States, being the world’s prime imperialist power, with no real competition, no real adversaries who threaten it, and only China who can compete economically with the United States, that we are a country that is increasingly moving to a situation where the Republican Party is moving more and more to be the party of white people in America, and the Democratic Party is increasingly becoming the party of the new multiracial majority of the American people. That’s what I take from the results of this election, no matter who ends up actually winning the election or what happens with the Senate or what happens with the Congress. It’s the developing trends in the electorate of America that are showing enormous racial division between the two parties and who they represent.
AMY GOODMAN: That’s Juan González, Democracy Now! co-host and professor at Rutgers University, doing a deep dive, even as we’re waiting to hear who has won the presidency in the United States, into the data. And, Juan, maybe you can talk about the kinds of narratives that developed over 2016, the misinformation that continues to this day about who votes, like the more than half of white women who voted for Trump in 2016. You’re exploding all of this.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yes. Well, the exit polls were actually — last time around, were considerably off on the women’s vote. In fact, the Pew Center, later on, and several other groups did more extensive studies and found that in the 2016 election there was roughly an even vote between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton when it came to white women. I think was 47 to 48%, because, of course, there were third-party candidates back in 2016 that took a portion of the women’s vote, as well. So, it was 47 to 48.
This time around, there is a clear majority that is showing that white women are voting for Trump. And I don’t think that there’s been any real analysis of what’s happened there, and certainly no questioning by any of the political commentators that I’ve seen of why has Trump’s support among white women increased since 2016, and I think that — while it has not, or barely, increased among African American and Latina women. I think that that is something that’s really got to be looked at.
You know, but I think that, generally speaking, if you look at the historical trends, it’s about two-thirds of Latinos, going back to George Bush — George Bush was the last Republican candidate that was able to get 40% of the Latino vote. And Ronald Reagan, back in the ’80s, got about 40% of the Latino vote. But back then, it was a much smaller pie. It was a much smaller vote. Now it’s a much bigger vote. And so, when you’re in the 28, 29, 30% as a Republican candidate, that’s really not a substantial change in the vote. You’ve got to get up into the 35 or 40%, where you can claim there’s actual real movement occurring in the Latino community.
So, the historical trend has been Republicans generally get about between 25 to 35% of the Latino vote, because, remember, Latinos are a very disparate group. They’re many nationalities. Because of migration, there’s constant change. People are saying, “Well, South Florida voted more for Trump.” Well, the South Florida of today is not the same South Florida of 10 years ago, because South Florida has increasingly become the base area for all conservative Latin Americans, whether they are Nicaraguans fleeing social change in Nicaragua, Colombians, increasingly Venezuelans, and, of course, the old-style Cuban community. It is the refuge area for all people fleeing social upheaval and social revolution in Latin America. So it’s no surprise that there may have been a conservative increase of the Latino vote in South Florida. And that’s not a surprise at all. It’s only a surprise to the people who don’t pay attention to the evolution and the dynamics of the Latinx community across the country.
But I think the key area is what’s happened in Wisconsin, what happened in Pennsylvania, what’s happened in the Midwest, what’s happened in Arizona, Nevada, where the bulk of the Latinx community exists — and, of course, Texas — where the bulk of the Latinx community lives and votes.
AMY GOODMAN: Juan, I wanted to ask you about Native Americans. I was communicating with someone last night from Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and they were talking about the big story in Wisconsin around Native Americans, although it is harder to track — is that right? — because of who’s identified demographically and who isn’t.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yes. Well, I think, certainly, the Native American vote, not only in Wisconsin and in Montana and also in Arizona, has probably played a very big role in Arizona, along with the Latinx community. People talk about Maricopa County as being decisive in what happens in Arizona. Well, Maricopa County is 31% Latino. And so, it’s the biggest county, and it has a very big share of the vote there. So, I think that — but in Arizona especially, I think, and in a few other states, the Native American vote will be crucial. But getting the hard numbers is going to take some time, because the sample that these pollsters use is so small that it’s going to take a lot more digging to get the actual results.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Well, Juan, even though, as you say, it’s very surprising that white women voters voted for him in greater — for Trump in greater numbers in this election than they did in 2016, given Trump’s consistent assaults on women of all kinds, I guess the thing that’s striking is also the fact — I mean, Trump did win over 60 million votes, 68 million votes — that given what he’s done and said to and about African Americans, Asian Americans, the Latinx communities, that any increase — first of all, that any people would vote for him, and on top of that, that there would be an increase at all, even if marginal.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yes, well, I agree with you, Nermeen. I think the issue to understand — again, that’s why I raise the nature of U.S. imperialism. I do not think that we should underestimate the reality, because everyone knew why they were voting in this election. There was no — there were very few undecided voters. And I think one of the things that still has to be answered is how, once again, the polls were so wrong, not about necessarily about the vote for Joe Biden, because most of the polls gave Joe Biden about 51, 51, sometimes 52% of the vote, or 50, which is more or less what he’s been getting, but that there was a severe underestimation in all the polls, once again, of how many Americans were voting for Trump. And I think that we’ve got to understand, increasingly, these polls are highly suspect and cannot be trusted.
But I think the key thing to understand is that, unfortunately — and I’ve been saying this now for years, when I get a chance to do analysis rather than just ask questions — is that there is a significant portion of the American people, including among African Americans and Latinos and other groups, who are perfectly happy with the United States being the world’s imperial power, and who, to some degree or other, believe that they are invested in the continued national chauvinism and expansionism and bullying of America around the world. So, this vote also represents, even if Joe Biden wins, that there are many Americans who are perfectly happy with our country being a rogue state in the world and lording over the rest of the world and insisting that its interests are first. There is a national chauvinist movement in America and a movement that believes authoritarianism is the way to go.
We cannot underestimate this, and hopefully the progressives will attempt to organize, understanding that. And the work that has to be done, though, is in the white community, is in among white Americans. That’s where the organizing needs to be done, because that is the population that is increasingly shifting more and more to a national chauvinist and a white supremacist view of the world. And I don’t think that we can sweep that under the rug and act like it’s not happening, because it is happening. And that’s, I think, the key lesson, that, yes, Donald Trump got more votes this time than he got last time, and there’s a reason for that.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: And, Juan, I mean, as you say, Trump did get more votes, 4 million at the moment, 4 million more votes this year in this election than he did in 2016. And in 2016, when he won, there was almost universal consensus that he was an aberration — in other words, he was eccentric to what the Republican Party had been, what it stands for — whereas it’s not really possible to hold that position now.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Right, because I believe that he’s an aberration in his personal conduct and in the way he carries out the office, but not in the policies that he is implementing. The policies that he is implementing are pretty much in lockstep with conservative Republican policies that have been developing for decades. And that is why so many Republicans, who really can’t stomach the man, still vote for him, because he is implementing the policies that they believe is where the country should go, whether it’s deregulation, whether it’s on the climate crisis, whether it’s on immigration and so many other policies. He’s implementing the policies on taxes. He’s implementing the policies that the conservative Republican establishment want. It’s just that he does it in such a corrupt, venal and personal manner that it’s hard to stomach him at the same time.
AMY GOODMAN: Juan González, we want to thank you for being with us — see you tomorrow on Democracy Now! — Democracy Now! co-host and professor at Rutgers University, speaking to us today from New Brunswick, New Jersey.
This is Democracy Now! When we come back, we head to Phoenix, Arizona, Arizona a key battleground state. It was red. Is it turning blue? Stay with us.


truthout--2020-11-05--Armed Protesters Menace Arizona Vote Center Amid Lies About Uncounted GOP Votes

A group of at least 200 Trump supporters , many of them armed , gathered outside an elections center in Arizona on Wednesday night , demanding access to see ballots after a false rumor spread online alleging that their votes weren ’ t being counted .
The group congregated outside the Maricopa County Elections Department after social media posts shared on Tuesday night said that voters who had used Sharpie pens to mark their ballots in the election wouldn ’ t have their votes counted .
The false rumor , known as “ Sharpitegate , ” was likely compounded and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( R-Arizona ) retweeted it to his followers .
“ We can not tolerate voter fraud in Arizona , ” Gosar tweeted .
Gosar himself joined the group that came to the elections center .
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has issued a statement assuring voters that their votes did indeed count if they used Sharpie pens to cast their ballots .
According to the Phoenix New Times , right-wing “ fringe elements ” were part of the protest group .
Jennifer Harrison , the leader of a far right hate group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group about how she was removed from being an elections observer .
Noted misogynist and “ Pizzagate ” supporter Mike Cernovich was also part of the protest .
In a post accompanying video of the incident , Briana Whitney , a CBS-affiliate reporter in Phoenix , said protesters had attempted to enter the center .
The facility was forced to close its doors to the public and to the media out of safety concerns due to the group outside , with counting of ballots continuing uninterrupted during and after the protests .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” and “ count my vote ” during their demonstration .
They also denounced Fox News for having called the race in Arizona in favor of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday night .
Only Fox News and the Associated Press have called the state for Biden so far .
Demonstrations against vote counters have occurred in other cities across the country as well .
In Detroit , Michigan , for example , a state that has been called for Biden , pro-Trump supporters demanded access to view and challenge votes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president ’ s campaign team demands that counting in that state be stopped .
According to available returns from the state , Biden currently leads Trump in Arizona by a very slim margin of about 68,000 votes as of Thursday morning .
The state ’ s 11 Electoral College votes would bring Biden ’ s total so far to 264 , just six votes shy of the 270 needed to win the presidency .
It ’ s possible that Trump can overcome the margin in Arizona held by Biden at the moment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A number of votes counted on Wednesday night through Thursday morning narrowed the difference between the two candidates , as Biden ’ s vote share was much larger before .
The issue for Trump , however , is that a significant number of ballots that remain to be counted come from Democratic-leaning counties , and are also absentee or mail-in ballots , which have tended to favor Biden .
Trump would need to win close to 57 percent of the remaining outstanding ballots in order to ensure Biden doesn ’ t win @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bentz , who spoke with AZ Central .
The incumbent president faces similar difficulties elsewhere across the country .
The margin in Nevada , for example , currently favors Biden , but by only a few thousand votes .
Most of the uncounted votes in that state , however , come from heavily-populated , mostly Democratic areas .
In two other states , Georgia and Pennsylvania , Trump is currently leading Biden by 19,000 and 142,000 votes respectively .
However , a number of ballots in both states , also from populated Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @

A group of at least 200 Trump supporters, many of them armed, gathered outside an elections center in Arizona on Wednesday night, demanding access to see ballots after a false rumor spread online alleging that their votes weren’t being counted.
The group congregated outside the Maricopa County Elections Department after social media posts shared on Tuesday night said that voters who had used Sharpie pens to mark their ballots in the election wouldn’t have their votes counted. The false rumor, known as “Sharpitegate,” was likely compounded and given undue legitimacy after Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) retweeted it to his followers.
“We can not tolerate voter fraud in Arizona,” Gosar tweeted. Gosar himself joined the group that came to the elections center.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has issued a statement assuring voters that their votes did indeed count if they used Sharpie pens to cast their ballots.
According to the Phoenix New Times, right-wing “fringe elements” were part of the protest group. Jennifer Harrison, the leader of a far right hate group called AZ Patriots, spoke to the group about how she was removed from being an elections observer. Noted misogynist and “Pizzagate” supporter Mike Cernovich was also part of the protest.
In a post accompanying video of the incident, Briana Whitney, a CBS-affiliate reporter in Phoenix, said protesters had attempted to enter the center. The facility was forced to close its doors to the public and to the media out of safety concerns due to the group outside, with counting of ballots continuing uninterrupted during and after the protests.
HAPPENING NOW IN ARIZONA: Protesters yelling and trying to get into the Maricopa County Elections Center where ballots are being counted. They believe the sharpies used made their votes invalid. That is not true. LIVE with a look at the chaos unfolding… #azfamily pic.twitter.com/EojEEqOaef — Briana Whitney (@BrianaWhitney) November 5, 2020
The pro-Trump protesters chanted “stop the steal” and “count my vote” during their demonstration. They also denounced Fox News for having called the race in Arizona in favor of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday night. Only Fox News and the Associated Press have called the state for Biden so far.
Demonstrations against vote counters have occurred in other cities across the country as well. In Detroit, Michigan, for example, a state that has been called for Biden, pro-Trump supporters demanded access to view and challenge votes that were still being counted, following the president’s campaign team demands that counting in that state be stopped.
According to available returns from the state, Biden currently leads Trump in Arizona by a very slim margin of about 68,000 votes as of Thursday morning. The state’s 11 Electoral College votes would bring Biden’s total so far to 264, just six votes shy of the 270 needed to win the presidency.
It’s possible that Trump can overcome the margin in Arizona held by Biden at the moment, as 470,000 votes remain to be counted. A number of votes counted on Wednesday night through Thursday morning narrowed the difference between the two candidates, as Biden’s vote share was much larger before.
The issue for Trump, however, is that a significant number of ballots that remain to be counted come from Democratic-leaning counties, and are also absentee or mail-in ballots, which have tended to favor Biden. Trump would need to win close to 57 percent of the remaining outstanding ballots in order to ensure Biden doesn’t win Arizona, according to Republican pollster Paul Bentz, who spoke with AZ Central.
The incumbent president faces similar difficulties elsewhere across the country. The margin in Nevada, for example, currently favors Biden, but by only a few thousand votes. Most of the uncounted votes in that state, however, come from heavily-populated, mostly Democratic areas.
In two other states, Georgia and Pennsylvania, Trump is currently leading Biden by 19,000 and 142,000 votes respectively. However, a number of ballots in both states, also from populated Democratic areas, remain to be counted.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-11-05--Postmaster General DeJoy Defies Federal Judge as Mail-In Ballots Surge for Biden

At a critical turning point in the 2020 election , Postmaster General Louis DeJoy , a close Trump consigliere , has defied a federal court order meant to track down and deliver some 300,000 mailed-in ballots .
In turn , federal Judge Emmet G. Sullivan has warned DeJoy that “ someone might have a price to pay ” for the postal service ’ s refusal to sweep some 300,000 votes stranded in swing state post offices and deliver them to election boards for counting , where they may , in fact , make a critical difference in the outcome of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the presidency boils down to uncounted mailed-in ballots , Trump ’ s deconstruction of the U.S .
Postal Service ( USPS ) has taken center stage .
The spread of the coronavirus long ago made it clear this election would be deeply impacted by tens of millions of mailed-in ballots .
Throughout his mercenary presidency , Trump has escalated his assaults on the Postal Service .
Republicans of his corporate ilk have long wanted to dismantle the USPS , largely to destroy its powerful union .
They ’ ve also wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and UPS .
DeJoy ’ s own business , XPO Logistics , recently landed a $ 5 million contract with the USPS .
( DeJoy claims he has divested his stake in the company , but the reality is unclear . )
When the coronavirus hit , the Postal Service became a political football .
Throughout the U.S. , concerned citizens worried that suffering through long lines to finally arrive at cramped voting centers would expose them to potential illness .
As lines backed up in Wisconsin for this past spring ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some reports claim at least 71 deaths were the tragic result .
Since the 1980s , Colorado , Utah , Oregon , Washington State and Hawaii have automatically mailed ballots to registered voters .
The systems work extremely well .
After the fearsome warnings spread from Wisconsin ’ s primary , California , Nevada , and a number of other states jumped in .
In swing states like Michigan , Ohio and Pennsylvania , Republican legislatures demanded voters fill out applications online or by mail to get their ballots .
The requirements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aiming to restrict the popular vote .
As Trump assaulted the Postal Service ( which he termed “ a joke ” ) , he openly feared being overwhelmed by absentee ballots .
If everyone could easily vote by mail , he complained , Republicans would never get elected .
Trump himself has voted absentee since occupying the White House .
( He officially lives in Florida . )
But he complains vote by mail is somehow different .
( It isn ’ t . )
So he threatened to sue Nevada when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in mailing ballots to all registered voters .
Those votes are now being hotly disputed .
Trump also threatened to cut election board funding in Michigan for daring to mail ballots to all registered voters .
“ Michigan sends absentee ballot applications to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election , ” he tweeted .
“ This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State .
I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gutted much of the USPS ’ s highly evolved functional core , removing sorting machines , trashing long-established procedures , firing essential long-term personnel and removing postal drop boxes throughout the country .
As USPS revenues plummeted due to the virus , and as service deteriorated , Trump made little attempt to hide that the dismantlement was being done at least in part to undermine the service ’ s ability to deliver ballots that he thought ( correctly ) might threaten to end his presidency .
The USPS is one of the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listed as the public ’ s favorite government-related operation .
Anger over its dismemberment has been palpable .
“ In the Postal Service ’ s 240 years of delivering the mail , how can one person screw this up so fast ?
” Rep. Stephen F. Lynch ( D- Massachusetts ) asked DeJoy amid angry congressional hearings in August .
“ What the heck are you doing ?
” DeJoy told Congress his “ cost-cutting ” measures were necessary and offered assurances that the fall election ’ s ballots would be efficiently handled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protection advocates who ’ d supported voting by mail to push early voting or depositing ballots in official drop boxes .
( Ohio and Texas responded by limiting drop boxes to one per county . )
Tennessee Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper told DeJoy : “ For anyone thinking of voting absentee , the effect of your changes is to move Election Day from November 3 up to something like October 27.
” As Trump ’ s Republicans demanded ever-more stringent deadlines for receiving ballots at postal centers , the courts finally stepped in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records in various states showed more than 300,000 absentee ballots had been received but had not gone back out to the election boards .
Such numbers could easily determine the presidency , especially in the swing states .
( As of this morning , Michigan ’ s margin of victory for Joe Biden is around 35,000 , Wisconsin ’ s around 20,000 and Nevada ’ s less than 10,000 . )
U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of Washington , D.C. , had ordered on September 28 that the USPS cease its delivery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3 , Judge Sullivan ordered DeJoy to sweep Postal Service facilities in a dozen key districts where those 300,000 ballots had been reported undelivered .
Sullivan ’ s order included processing centers in Detroit , Houston , Atlanta and Philadelphia , as well as in central Pennsylvania , south Florida , South Carolina , Colorado , Wisconsin , Illinois , Arizona , Wyoming and Alabama .
Sullivan particularly focused on districts with low on-time delivery records , including Philadelphia and Detroit .
But DeJoy ’ s USPS proceeded to ignore Judge Sullivan ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operational limitations.
” The service also complained that complying with the order might disrupt its regularly scheduled service .
Sullivan responded with fury .
“ I ’ m not pleased about this 11th-hour development last night , ” he said in a hearing Wednesday .
“ Someone might have a price to pay.
” But the whereabouts of those 300,000 ballots remains a matter of dispute , as does their potential impact on the outcome of the presidential election .
That the ballots might be missing is “ inaccurate , ” says a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extraordinary measures ” to deliver those votes .
In a court filing , the USPS said that many ballots may have been delivered without being scanned .
But if they were not marked as sent , zealous Republicans would be happy to toss them all as lacking a proper postmark or date stamp .
Some of the USPS ’ s harshest critics now tend to believe such problems may be overstated , and that the Postal Service — which has been reporting to Judge Sullivan — may be its own worst enemy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation as a product of the USPS ’ s own questionable reporting .
But Democratic governors in the key swing states of Wisconsin , Michigan , Pennsylvania and North Carolina have vowed to count all votes .
And in an election where razor-thin margins can make all the difference , and where Trump supporters — some of them armed — are demanding to “ stop the count ” ( see Florida 2000 ) , the questionable whereabouts and date stamping of 300,000 votes becomes a matter of life or death .
Thus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he says , “ is either going to have to be deposed or appear before me and testify under oath … about why some measures were not taken after the court issued its injunction.
” DeJoy might also be asked about how those missing mail-in ballots — which have trended heavily for Joe Biden — might affect the electoral fortunes of his boss and benefactor , Donald J. Trump .

Some 300,000 ballots remain a matter of dispute, as does their potential impact on the presidential election.
Part of the Series Voting Wrongs
At a critical turning point in the 2020 election, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a close Trump consigliere, has defied a federal court order meant to track down and deliver some 300,000 mailed-in ballots.
In turn, federal Judge Emmet G. Sullivan has warned DeJoy that “someone might have a price to pay” for the postal service’s refusal to sweep some 300,000 votes stranded in swing state post offices and deliver them to election boards for counting, where they may, in fact, make a critical difference in the outcome of this astounding election.
As the battle for the presidency boils down to uncounted mailed-in ballots, Trump’s deconstruction of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has taken center stage.
The spread of the coronavirus long ago made it clear this election would be deeply impacted by tens of millions of mailed-in ballots.
Throughout his mercenary presidency, Trump has escalated his assaults on the Postal Service. Republicans of his corporate ilk have long wanted to dismantle the USPS, largely to destroy its powerful union.
They’ve also wanted to benefit huge private delivery companies like FedEx and UPS. DeJoy’s own business, XPO Logistics, recently landed a $5 million contract with the USPS. (DeJoy claims he has divested his stake in the company, but the reality is unclear.)
When the coronavirus hit, the Postal Service became a political football. Throughout the U.S., concerned citizens worried that suffering through long lines to finally arrive at cramped voting centers would expose them to potential illness. As lines backed up in Wisconsin for this past spring’s primary, reports of infection ran rampant. Some reports claim at least 71 deaths were the tragic result.
Since the 1980s, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Washington State and Hawaii have automatically mailed ballots to registered voters. The systems work extremely well. After the fearsome warnings spread from Wisconsin’s primary, California, Nevada, and a number of other states jumped in.
In swing states like Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, Republican legislatures demanded voters fill out applications online or by mail to get their ballots. The requirements can be complex and confusing, apparently aiming to restrict the popular vote.
As Trump assaulted the Postal Service (which he termed “a joke”), he openly feared being overwhelmed by absentee ballots. If everyone could easily vote by mail, he complained, Republicans would never get elected.
Trump himself has voted absentee since occupying the White House. (He officially lives in Florida.) But he complains vote by mail is somehow different. (It isn’t.)
So he threatened to sue Nevada when it announced it would join five other states in mailing ballots to all registered voters. Those votes are now being hotly disputed.
Trump also threatened to cut election board funding in Michigan for daring to mail ballots to all registered voters. “Michigan sends absentee ballot applications to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election,” he tweeted. “This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!”
Through the summer, DeJoy brutally gutted much of the USPS’s highly evolved functional core, removing sorting machines, trashing long-established procedures, firing essential long-term personnel and removing postal drop boxes throughout the country.
As USPS revenues plummeted due to the virus, and as service deteriorated, Trump made little attempt to hide that the dismantlement was being done at least in part to undermine the service’s ability to deliver ballots that he thought (correctly) might threaten to end his presidency.
The USPS is one of the U.S.’s most cherished institutions, regularly listed as the public’s favorite government-related operation. Anger over its dismemberment has been palpable.
“In the Postal Service’s 240 years of delivering the mail, how can one person screw this up so fast?” Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D- Massachusetts) asked DeJoy amid angry congressional hearings in August. “What the heck are you doing?”
DeJoy told Congress his “cost-cutting” measures were necessary and offered assurances that the fall election’s ballots would be efficiently handled.
But very long delays prompted election protection advocates who’d supported voting by mail to push early voting or depositing ballots in official drop boxes.(Ohio and Texas responded by limiting drop boxes to one per county.)
Tennessee Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper told DeJoy: “For anyone thinking of voting absentee, the effect of your changes is to move Election Day from November 3 up to something like October 27.”
As Trump’s Republicans demanded ever-more stringent deadlines for receiving ballots at postal centers, the courts finally stepped in. As of November 3, USPS records in various states showed more than 300,000 absentee ballots had been received but had not gone back out to the election boards.
Such numbers could easily determine the presidency, especially in the swing states. (As of this morning, Michigan’s margin of victory for Joe Biden is around 35,000, Wisconsin’s around 20,000 and Nevada’s less than 10,000.)
U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of Washington, D.C., had ordered on September 28 that the USPS cease its delivery cutbacks before the election.
On November 3, Judge Sullivan ordered DeJoy to sweep Postal Service facilities in a dozen key districts where those 300,000 ballots had been reported undelivered. Sullivan’s order included processing centers in Detroit, Houston, Atlanta and Philadelphia, as well as in central Pennsylvania, south Florida, South Carolina, Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona, Wyoming and Alabama.
Sullivan particularly focused on districts with low on-time delivery records, including Philadelphia and Detroit.
The whereabouts of those 300,000 ballots remains a matter of dispute, as does their potential impact on the outcome of the presidential election.
But DeJoy’s USPS proceeded to ignore Judge Sullivan’s ruling, citing “physical and operational limitations.” The service also complained that complying with the order might disrupt its regularly scheduled service.
Sullivan responded with fury. “I’m not pleased about this 11th-hour development last night,” he said in a hearing Wednesday. “Someone might have a price to pay.”
But the whereabouts of those 300,000 ballots remains a matter of dispute, as does their potential impact on the outcome of the presidential election.
That the ballots might be missing is “inaccurate,” says a USPS spokesman. The service took “extraordinary measures” to deliver those votes.
In a court filing, the USPS said that many ballots may have been delivered without being scanned. But if they were not marked as sent, zealous Republicans would be happy to toss them all as lacking a proper postmark or date stamp.
Some of the USPS’s harshest critics now tend to believe such problems may be overstated, and that the Postal Service — which has been reporting to Judge Sullivan — may be its own worst enemy. Vice’s Aaron Gordon downplays the situation as a product of the USPS’s own questionable reporting.
But Democratic governors in the key swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina have vowed to count all votes.
And in an election where razor-thin margins can make all the difference, and where Trump supporters — some of them armed — are demanding to “stop the count” (see Florida 2000), the questionable whereabouts and date stamping of 300,000 votes becomes a matter of life or death.
Thus, Judge Sullivan is not happy. DeJoy, he says, “is either going to have to be deposed or appear before me and testify under oath … about why some measures were not taken after the court issued its injunction.”
DeJoy might also be asked about how those missing mail-in ballots — which have trended heavily for Joe Biden — might affect the electoral fortunes of his boss and benefactor, Donald J. Trump.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-11-05--Justice Department Claims Armed Feds Are Allowed to Inspect Vote Counts

As ongoing vote tabulation in several key battleground states continues to slowly narrow President Donald Trump ’ s path to reelection , the New York Times reported late Wednesday that the Justice Department has told federal prosecutors that U.S. law permits armed federal agents to enter ballot-counting locations to investigate alleged “ fraud , ” heightening fears of possible intimidation efforts by the Trump administration .
News of the Justice Department ’ s early Wednesday email came after Trump spent much of that day lying about vote-counting procedures and peddling baseless claims of suspicious activity as he watched his slim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania vanish .
The Times noted that the Justice Department ’ s email , authored by Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue , “ created the specter of the federal government intimidating local election officials or otherwise intervening in vote tallying amid calls by President Trump to end the tabulating in states where he was trailing in the presidential race.
” While U.S. law bars the stationing of armed officials “ at any place where a general or special election is held , ” Donoghue claimed in his email that the statute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement persons from responding to , investigat [ ing ] , or prevent [ ing ] federal crimes at closed polling places or at other locations where votes are being counted.
” State officials and civil rights advocates were quick to denounce the Justice Department ’ s interpretation of the law as both false and dangerous while also suggesting the post-Election Day email may have been aimed at mollifying the president , who falsely declared victory early Wednesday morning with millions of ballots left to count .
Vanita Gupta , president and CEO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Human Rights , decried the “ scare tactics from DOJ , ” noting on Twitter that “ federal armed agents can ’ t interfere in vote count , enter polling places , or take ballots.
” “ Let ’ s be clear : this is posturing , ” said Gupta , who served as acting head of the Justice Department ’ s Civil Rights Division under President Barack Obama .
“ You can imagine Trump calling [ Attorney General William ] Barr at midnight freaking out after Fox called Arizona saying do something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Time for a new DOJ.
” As the Times pointed out , Barr “ spent the months leading up to Election Day echoing the president ’ s dark warnings , claiming without evidence that the wave of mail-in ballots would lead to an unprecedented amount of voter fraud .
He cited one example of 1,700 falsified ballots that the Washington Post found to be false .
A department spokeswoman blamed an inaccurate memo from an aide.
” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro , the top law enforcement official of a key state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MSNBC late Wednesday that he is aware of the Justice Department ’ s email and prepared to deal with its potential consequences .
“ It is yet another one of the issues we planned for , ” said Shapiro .
“ Nothing is going to stop the counting of these legal ballots in Pennsylvania.
” If armed federal officials show up at Pennsylvania vote-counting locations , Shapiro said , “ what happens is what has been happening since the polls closed : a strict adherence to state law .
”

As ongoing vote tabulation in several key battleground states continues to slowly narrow President Donald Trump’s path to reelection, the New York Times reported late Wednesday that the Justice Department has told federal prosecutors that U.S. law permits armed federal agents to enter ballot-counting locations to investigate alleged “fraud,” heightening fears of possible intimidation efforts by the Trump administration.
News of the Justice Department’s early Wednesday email came after Trump spent much of that day lying about vote-counting procedures and peddling baseless claims of suspicious activity as he watched his slim leads in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania vanish.
The Times noted that the Justice Department’s email, authored by Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, “created the specter of the federal government intimidating local election officials or otherwise intervening in vote tallying amid calls by President Trump to end the tabulating in states where he was trailing in the presidential race.”
While U.S. law bars the stationing of armed officials “at any place where a general or special election is held,” Donoghue claimed in his email that the statute “does not prevent armed federal law enforcement persons from responding to, investigat[ing], or prevent[ing] federal crimes at closed polling places or at other locations where votes are being counted.”
State officials and civil rights advocates were quick to denounce the Justice Department’s interpretation of the law as both false and dangerous while also suggesting the post-Election Day email may have been aimed at mollifying the president, who falsely declared victory early Wednesday morning with millions of ballots left to count.
State officials have authority over anyone trying to enter locations where ballots are being counted. Anything else is a radical reinterpretation of the law. States can handle elections, and we will ensure the people decide the outcome.https://t.co/etz70G3foQ — Maura Healey (@MassAGO) November 5, 2020
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, decried the “scare tactics from DOJ,” noting on Twitter that “federal armed agents can’t interfere in vote count, enter polling places, or take ballots.”
“Let’s be clear: this is posturing,” said Gupta, who served as acting head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division under President Barack Obama. “You can imagine Trump calling [Attorney General William] Barr at midnight freaking out after Fox called Arizona saying do something for me, and Barr willingly obliging. Time for a new DOJ.”
As the Times pointed out, Barr “spent the months leading up to Election Day echoing the president’s dark warnings, claiming without evidence that the wave of mail-in ballots would lead to an unprecedented amount of voter fraud. He cited one example of 1,700 falsified ballots that the Washington Post found to be false. A department spokeswoman blamed an inaccurate memo from an aide.”
Not at all clear why DOJ decided to send this email in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. But without more context, this is disturbing.
Justice Dept.: Armed Agents Are Allowed to Oversee Ballot-Counting Venues – The New York Times https://t.co/juRCyhoONT — Carissa Byrne Hessick (@CBHessick) November 5, 2020
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the top law enforcement official of a key state that remains up for grabs, told MSNBC late Wednesday that he is aware of the Justice Department’s email and prepared to deal with its potential consequences.
“It is yet another one of the issues we planned for,” said Shapiro. “Nothing is going to stop the counting of these legal ballots in Pennsylvania.”
If armed federal officials show up at Pennsylvania vote-counting locations, Shapiro said, “what happens is what has been happening since the polls closed: a strict adherence to state law.”
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truthout--2020-11-05--Trump’s Claims of Widespread Voter Fraud Are Flat-Out Conspiracy Theory

On the afternoon of November 4 , we found ourselves in the scenario many feared : a dead-heat election with the incumbent president refusing to accept the results if they do not favor him , declaring widespread fraud and calling for an end to the vote count while hundreds of thousands of legally cast ballots remain untallied .
The overarching need now is for bipartisan unity to defend the integrity of the vote count .
Election integrity should not be a partisan issue , and unfounded allegations of fraud should not be weaponized by partisan candidates .
To be clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to support Donald Trump ’ s claim of widespread Democratic voter fraud or millions of illegal votes cast .
This is conspiracy theory and self-serving propaganda , period .
The true threats to democracy continue to come from money in politics , gerrymandering , voter suppression and the ongoing vulnerability of our electronic voting systems to fraud and hacking .
In 2020 , uncounted mail-in ballots are also a significant problem .
Right now , hundreds of thousands of ballots — cast by both Republicans and Democrats — are missing in the U.S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials and poll workers struggle to get every vote counted in tight races , we should keep our eyes on the integrity and transparency of the process in key swing states .
Georgia in particular has a long history of voter suppression , partisan control of voting processes , and last-minute voting machine “ upgrades ” and “ patches ” that cybersecurity experts warn are uncertified and unsafe .
This happened again in 2020 with Georgia ’ s hotly contested new ballot-marking devices , which malfunctioned and had to be reprogrammed right before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought by Georgia democracy advocates , U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg found that Georgia ’ s ballot-marking devices present “ serious system security vulnerability and operational issues that may place Plaintiffs and other voters at risk of deprivation of their fundamental right to cast an effective vote that is accurately counted.
” Judge Totenberg ’ s October ruling concluded that the “ risks are neither hypothetical nor remote under the current circumstances , ” but declined to order action from Georgia officials , citing Supreme Court precedent that recommended lower courts use “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changes in close proximity to an election .
It is imperative that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Gov .
Brian Kemp do what they can now to ensure an honest , verified , vote count in 2020 .
This may include conducting a post-election , risk-limiting audit .
While a full public hand-count of voter-marked paper ballots is the gold standard for democratic process , it is not possible in states using paperless touchscreen machines or ballot-marking devices , which don ’ t allow a voter to fill out their own ballot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recount ; instead , they verify a statistically significant number of ballots in order to detect error or fraud .
While imperfect , risk-limiting audits are the only process currently offered by counties and states to verify the machine count .
If a risk-limiting audit is undertaken , the locations and ballots selected for review should be chosen through a transparent process of random selection to prevent any manipulation of the audit itself .
Experts agree that audits should not be done by scanning barcodes or QR codes on ballots , but by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. are already united in support of common-sense reform that protects election integrity .
In 2018 , democracy advocates garnered strong bipartisan support for the Secure Elections Act , which would provide minimal cybersecurity and accountability standards including ensuring all votes are cast on paper that can be audited and recounted .
But the Secure Elections Act was blocked by Mitch McConnell and the White House .
Moving forward , we must continue to grow even stronger and create more insistent bipartisan support for election reform that protects the voting rights of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our democratic process .
These reforms must take place with sufficient time to revamp our voting system before the 2022 elections .

The real threat to the integrity of this election comes from Trump’s attempts to stop every vote from being counted.
Part of the Series Voting Wrongs
On the afternoon of November 4, we found ourselves in the scenario many feared: a dead-heat election with the incumbent president refusing to accept the results if they do not favor him, declaring widespread fraud and calling for an end to the vote count while hundreds of thousands of legally cast ballots remain untallied.
The overarching need now is for bipartisan unity to defend the integrity of the vote count.
Election integrity should not be a partisan issue, and unfounded allegations of fraud should not be weaponized by partisan candidates. To be clear, there has never been any evidence to support Donald Trump’s claim of widespread Democratic voter fraud or millions of illegal votes cast. This is conspiracy theory and self-serving propaganda, period.
The true threats to democracy continue to come from money in politics, gerrymandering, voter suppression and the ongoing vulnerability of our electronic voting systems to fraud and hacking. In 2020, uncounted mail-in ballots are also a significant problem. Right now, hundreds of thousands of ballots — cast by both Republicans and Democrats — are missing in the U.S. Postal Service system.
As elections officials and poll workers struggle to get every vote counted in tight races, we should keep our eyes on the integrity and transparency of the process in key swing states. Georgia in particular has a long history of voter suppression, partisan control of voting processes, and last-minute voting machine “upgrades” and “patches” that cybersecurity experts warn are uncertified and unsafe. This happened again in 2020 with Georgia’s hotly contested new ballot-marking devices, which malfunctioned and had to be reprogrammed right before the general election.
In a lawsuit brought by Georgia democracy advocates, U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg found that Georgia’s ballot-marking devices present “serious system security vulnerability and operational issues that may place Plaintiffs and other voters at risk of deprivation of their fundamental right to cast an effective vote that is accurately counted.”
Judge Totenberg’s October ruling concluded that the “risks are neither hypothetical nor remote under the current circumstances,” but declined to order action from Georgia officials, citing Supreme Court precedent that recommended lower courts use “great restraint” in ordering any substantial changes in close proximity to an election.
Georgia in particular has a long history of voter suppression and last-minute voting machine “upgrades” and “patches” that cybersecurity experts warn are uncertified
It is imperative that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Gov. Brian Kemp do what they can now to ensure an honest, verified, vote count in 2020. This may include conducting a post-election, risk-limiting audit.
While a full public hand-count of voter-marked paper ballots is the gold standard for democratic process, it is not possible in states using paperless touchscreen machines or ballot-marking devices, which don’t allow a voter to fill out their own ballot.
Risk-limiting audits are not a full recount; instead, they verify a statistically significant number of ballots in order to detect error or fraud. While imperfect, risk-limiting audits are the only process currently offered by counties and states to verify the machine count. If a risk-limiting audit is undertaken, the locations and ballots selected for review should be chosen through a transparent process of random selection to prevent any manipulation of the audit itself. Experts agree that audits should not be done by scanning barcodes or QR codes on ballots, but by hand-counting human readable names.
In 2018, democracy advocates garnered strong bipartisan support for the Secure Elections Act. But [it] was blocked by Mitch McConnell and the White House.
People in the U.S. are already united in support of common-sense reform that protects election integrity. In 2018, democracy advocates garnered strong bipartisan support for the Secure Elections Act, which would provide minimal cybersecurity and accountability standards including ensuring all votes are cast on paper that can be audited and recounted. But the Secure Elections Act was blocked by Mitch McConnell and the White House.
Moving forward, we must continue to grow even stronger and create more insistent bipartisan support for election reform that protects the voting rights of all U.S. voters and builds integrity in our democratic process. These reforms must take place with sufficient time to revamp our voting system before the 2022 elections.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-11-06--Most Americans Trust the Post-Election Day Vote Counting Process — 1-in-5 Don’t

Most Americans are certain they know who has won the presidential election , and nearly seven in ten are confident that votes have been counted accurately , according to a new poll .
The Navigator/Global Strategy Group poll , conducted from November 4 to 5 , asked respondents who they believe had won the election between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden .
Just 20 percent said Trump was the winner , with 52 percent saying Biden had come out victorious .
The remaining 28 percent said they were not sure , though nearly two out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would guess Biden was the winner .
When those considerations are added in , the poll found that 30 percent of Americans believe Trump won while 70 percent believed Biden was victorious .
The poll was conducted before vote count totals in Pennsylvania and Georgia flipped from Trump to Biden on Friday morning .
Biden is currently leading Trump in the Electoral College , and ahead in a number of states that would secure him a win .
The poll also asked respondents to share their thoughts on the continued counting and accuracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent said they were very or somewhat confident that the results would be accurate to American voters ’ preferences , while 31 percent lacked such confidence .
A greater proportion of respondents favored patience during the process of tabulating votes .
Just 16 percent of Americans , according to the poll , believed states that were continuing to count votes were trying to change the election ’ s outcome , while 76 percent said states should take the time they need in order to count every vote .
Trump ’ s response to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ viewed negatively by most , with 57 percent in the poll disapproving of how he had reacted to the results .
The question , it should be noted , was asked before Trump ’ s press briefing on Thursday night , in which he made many baseless and erroneous claims about the counting of ballots .
“ We were winning in all the key locations by a lot , actually .
And then our number started miraculously getting whittled away in secret , and they wouldn ’ t allow legally permissible observers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ claimed that votes counted after Election Day were illegitimate .
“ If you count the legal votes , I easily win .
If you count the illegal votes , they can try to steal the election from us , ” he added .
Both of the president ’ s assertions are untrue — all votes counted after Tuesday and still at this time were cast before Election Day , and coming in as an influx of absentee ballots overwhelmingly due to voters ’ concerns of the coronavirus pandemic .
Additionally , observers have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be involved in the process of tabulating ballots .
Some Republican lawmakers in Washington have spoken out against Trump ’ s baseless assertions , including Sen. Pat Toomey ( R-Pennsylvania ) .
Although Toomey said he voted for Trump in the election , he derided the commander-in-chief for trying to spread misinformation about the votes that were still being counted .
“ There ’ s simply no evidence anyone has shown me of any widespread corruption or fraud , ” Toomey said in a statement , adding that Trump ’ s press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me because he made very , very serious allegations without any evidence to support it.
” The findings of the Navigator/Global Strategy Group poll demonstrate that a small yet sizable number of Americans will likely not accept the outcome of the election as legitimate — a problem that social media sites , including Facebook , are planning to address in the coming days .
Two anonymous sources with knowledge of Facebook ’ s plans spoke to The New York Times about what the site ’ s immediate response to disinformation would be after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will put in place include more “ friction ” for users planning to spread errant posts — requiring extra clicks before controversial shares can happen .
The site will also make election-related misinformation less visible on users ’ news feeds , and will restrict the distribution of Facebook Live streams that relate to the outcome of the presidential race .
The moves by Facebook come in response to heightened discord fueled by disinformation on the social media site following the results of the election , the sources said .
Several Facebook groups also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in response to lies and rumors like “ Sharpiegate , ” which falsely alleged votes used with Sharpie markers weren ’ t being counted in Arizona .
The moves by Facebook would likely be temporary , the sources added , allowing for a cooling-down period to alleviate tensions after the election .
Such action may indeed be warranted — indeed , several errant posts alleging voter suppression of Trump votes on social media earlier in the week inspired a pro-Trump group of individuals , many of whom were armed with assault rifles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ center in Maricopa County , Arizona on Wednesday night , and demand to be let in to observe the process .

Most Americans are certain they know who has won the presidential election, and nearly seven in ten are confident that votes have been counted accurately, according to a new poll.
The Navigator/Global Strategy Group poll, conducted from November 4 to 5, asked respondents who they believe had won the election between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Just 20 percent said Trump was the winner, with 52 percent saying Biden had come out victorious.
The remaining 28 percent said they were not sure, though nearly two out of every three of those respondents said they would guess Biden was the winner. When those considerations are added in, the poll found that 30 percent of Americans believe Trump won while 70 percent believed Biden was victorious.
The poll was conducted before vote count totals in Pennsylvania and Georgia flipped from Trump to Biden on Friday morning. Biden is currently leading Trump in the Electoral College, and ahead in a number of states that would secure him a win.
The poll also asked respondents to share their thoughts on the continued counting and accuracy of votes in the election. Sixty-nine percent said they were very or somewhat confident that the results would be accurate to American voters’ preferences, while 31 percent lacked such confidence.
A greater proportion of respondents favored patience during the process of tabulating votes. Just 16 percent of Americans, according to the poll, believed states that were continuing to count votes were trying to change the election’s outcome, while 76 percent said states should take the time they need in order to count every vote.
Trump’s response to the outcome of the election was also viewed negatively by most, with 57 percent in the poll disapproving of how he had reacted to the results. The question, it should be noted, was asked before Trump’s press briefing on Thursday night, in which he made many baseless and erroneous claims about the counting of ballots.
“We were winning in all the key locations by a lot, actually. And then our number started miraculously getting whittled away in secret, and they wouldn’t allow legally permissible observers,” Trump said.
The president also claimed that votes counted after Election Day were illegitimate. “If you count the legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us,” he added.
Both of the president’s assertions are untrue — all votes counted after Tuesday and still at this time were cast before Election Day, and coming in as an influx of absentee ballots overwhelmingly due to voters’ concerns of the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, observers have been allowed, from both parties, to be involved in the process of tabulating ballots.
Some Republican lawmakers in Washington have spoken out against Trump’s baseless assertions, including Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania). Although Toomey said he voted for Trump in the election, he derided the commander-in-chief for trying to spread misinformation about the votes that were still being counted.
“There’s simply no evidence anyone has shown me of any widespread corruption or fraud,” Toomey said in a statement, adding that Trump’s press briefing statements were “very disturbing to me because he made very, very serious allegations without any evidence to support it.”
The findings of the Navigator/Global Strategy Group poll demonstrate that a small yet sizable number of Americans will likely not accept the outcome of the election as legitimate — a problem that social media sites, including Facebook, are planning to address in the coming days.
Two anonymous sources with knowledge of Facebook’s plans spoke to The New York Times about what the site’s immediate response to disinformation would be after the election. Among the strategies Facebook will put in place include more “friction” for users planning to spread errant posts — requiring extra clicks before controversial shares can happen.
The site will also make election-related misinformation less visible on users’ news feeds, and will restrict the distribution of Facebook Live streams that relate to the outcome of the presidential race.
The moves by Facebook come in response to heightened discord fueled by disinformation on the social media site following the results of the election, the sources said. Several Facebook groups also appear to be coordinating potentially violent actions in response to lies and rumors like “Sharpiegate,” which falsely alleged votes used with Sharpie markers weren’t being counted in Arizona.
The moves by Facebook would likely be temporary, the sources added, allowing for a cooling-down period to alleviate tensions after the election.
Such action may indeed be warranted — indeed, several errant posts alleging voter suppression of Trump votes on social media earlier in the week inspired a pro-Trump group of individuals, many of whom were armed with assault rifles, to congregate outside of a vote counting center in Maricopa County, Arizona on Wednesday night, and demand to be let in to observe the process.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.