buzzfeed--2020-11-23--He Set Out To Photograph The Country. He Never Predicted What 2020 Had In Store.

New York–based photographer Sinna Nasseri has been interested in politics ever since he was a young punk carving “ A ” for anarchy on his middle school desk .
Four years ago , after a stint as a lawyer working in Midtown , he borrowed a friend ’ s camera and fell in love with photography , turning his lens first on those same Midtown streets where he used to commute .
Nasseri started 2020 with an idea — to be on the road for most of the year , photographing .
Not only was this the perfect year to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his dad ’ s nondescript gray Volvo , he told me ) , but it was an momentous time to be crisscrossing the country and talking to Americans about how they were processing everything that happened in 2020 — the political tensions leading up to the election , killings of Black men and women and the responding swell in the Black Lives Matter movement , and the coronavirus .
Nasseri ’ s photographs and video clips from around the country seem like they ’ re quick uploads to an Instagram story .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought-out and carefully edited vignettes from a country split on so many issues , with the goal being to share ideas without passing judgment .
In El Segundo , in a casita with two dogs named Lenny and Earl .
I ’ m taking some time to digest the year .
It ’ s necessary in order to be able to do this kind of work , where people are yelling at and around you constantly .
Can you tell me the CliffsNotes version of what you 've been doing the last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be on the road for most of 2020 .
I have a degree in political science , and I was really interested in the election and politics .
I figured I could merge two of my real interests , photography and video and politics , into a larger project .
I ended up driving about 20,000 miles and visiting 35 or so states .
I knew 2020 was going to be a historic election , a big deal .
I knew the country was in a place where there would be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take off on my own and follow the campaigns , starting with the Democratic primaries in February .
But I also wanted to photograph people and environments that I came across in my travels that didn ’ t have an overt connection to politics .
My original plan was to just show up without an assignment , talk my way into places , and see what happened .
Then Olivia Horner of Vogue asked me to do a story on the Iowa caucus before my project had even started , which was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than I probably would have had otherwise .
Being feet away from Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden without having much experience photographing politics was surreal .
But it all fit into the project I wanted to do .
I ’ m not looking for an A1 photo , where everything is really clear and journalistic .
My style is meant to be a bit cryptic .
One thing that surprised me was how close I was able to get to the candidates and some of their unguarded moments , which allowed me to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s more freedom than you think to photograph the way you want compared to a Trump rally , where you ’ re stuck in a pen and it ’ s much harder .
Did you have any favorite political photographers starting out ?
Not political per se , I knew of certain people like Mark Peterson for sure , I found the stylized way he was working interesting .
And then historical photos I came across like Garry Winogrand , who has some politics mixed in to his work .
I was more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which I just used as a template in a way .
A wider angle lens , you see a lot going on , a drama coming through and a lot of different aspects of the photo to study , that ’ s what I was interested in .
What was your photo trajectory ?
Before this project , I didn ’ t really have much of a photography career .
I was working as a lawyer , I had gone to law school at Fordham and was working in Manhattan .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was pretty bored and working long hours .
I started to feel my intrinsic sense of humor and love for life fading away .
So I began doing work that was personal , trying to break out of a corporate lifestyle I had somehow let myself fall into .
I had gone to so many years of school , I never had a chance to step outside of that and try something else .
I was doing a lot of weird stuff — psychedelics , meditation , traveling .
It really helped snap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some photographer friends of mine lent me their cameras , and then I discovered the work of Daniel Arnold .
He really influenced me , and I just started walking around New York .
That was it , I completely threw myself into it .
I started reading photo books at libraries , gave myself little assignments , wrote , and published my own work .
I started photographing in Midtown , because there is a rush of people and these wide open avenues .
Fifth Avenue was standard , that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to work in Midtown when I was a lawyer , and when I quit that job to pursue photography full time I would just hang around where my old office was and would see my former colleagues , who didn ’ t recognize me anymore .
That was kind of funny .
I ended up making a project called End of Day , from that period .
How did you start incorporating videos into your photography ?
I was walking around and would see something that I thought couldn ’ t be totally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ started using video .
I would go out and take 50 videos every day , I think I have 9,000 on my iPhone from the last 8–9 months .
I would have my camera , and then my iPhone for video , and I was constantly switching back and forth taking pictures and making these little vignettes .
I was really influenced by Sam Youkilis , his style of work tailor-made for Instagram .
The interviews were something that really started happening over the course of this project .
I started interviewing people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a really huge part of what I was doing .
I got all kinds of different perspectives , and for some reason people would really open up to me .
These interviews will sometimes last 20 or 30 minutes , and then it ’ s fun to edit it down to that 30 seconds when they ’ re truly saying something unique .
It ’ s a beautiful feeling to approach anyone and know that they ’ re going to have at least one thing to say that ’ s going to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview one person , get their thoughts on politics , and then use Instagram stories to intersperse that with someone from the same town who had different ideas and then mix all that in with environmental scenes .
I wanted to show my audience all kinds of different views from a place of empathy , because even if it was outrageous , you were hearing it from a real live person .
There was a lot of trial and error with the video work , and pushing myself every day to talk in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all myself in one day .
I was able to do that consistently , and come into a style of my own , which I found really gratifying .
And the last three stories for Vogue , we did a ton of videos and vignettes and I think people were able to really connect with that .
You got to see what was going on in the country ’ s collective head .
How do you find the people you end up talking to ?
I love finding people who are a little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so those are the people I approach .
I really follow my gut .
Sometimes I can sense when people are emotional , so you know that they 're probably going to be more honest and forthright and you know it ’ s going to make a better interview .
And when I ’ m at an event , I look for the hot spots , where tensions are high and you can tell that ’ s where the action is going to happen .
I like to follow up with subjects and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happens .
In St. Augustine , I took videos of a young Black man named Zac Taylor with a BLM sign being surrounded and intimidated by Trump supporters .
He was 18 , just out of high school , and had all of these older men calling him trash and yelling at him .
It was crazy , and I was able to pull Zac aside and do an interview with him , and what he said really stuck with me .
I read that you 're always trying to push it ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around you .
How do you do that ?
It ’ s more a little voice that ’ s in my head : If you see a bunch of people taking the same photo , it ’ s almost like a trap — there ’ s something off there .
I don ’ t think there ’ s anything wrong with what they ’ re doing , but I want to find something different .
The one thing that is drawing other photographers in at that moment , I want to step back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I like to photograph the media itself , and examine their ( our ? )
role .
The photograph of Pete and the bowl — a bunch of other photographers were taking shots from all different angles , and I just sat by this bowl for five minutes and was able to make one photo that I liked .
I ’ m lucky to have the freedom to focus on one thing that I find captivating and really nail it , and then I ’ m happy .
That ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a different view , my view , and doing that extremely well is the goal .
What do the next four years hold for you ?
I hope to make a book , and a film as well .
A lot of things to get done ; putting this all together , finding the right editor and publisher .
I have some ideas .
I ’ d like to keep going with what I ’ ve scratched the surface of — video and stills and traveling and talking to people .
These structural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The election of Biden is n't any kind of end to the internal strife in our country .
I ’ m going to keep continuing as long as it 's still interesting .
It ’ s an exploration of American right now , and that includes everything , so it ’ s not going to get boring .
●

Where are you right now?
In El Segundo, in a casita with two dogs named Lenny and Earl.
I’m taking some time to digest the year. It’s necessary in order to be able to do this kind of work, where people are yelling at and around you constantly.
Can you tell me the CliffsNotes version of what you've been doing the last year?
I sort of had an idea to be on the road for most of 2020. I have a degree in political science, and I was really interested in the election and politics. I figured I could merge two of my real interests, photography and video and politics, into a larger project. I ended up driving about 20,000 miles and visiting 35 or so states.
I knew 2020 was going to be a historic election, a big deal. I knew the country was in a place where there would be a lot of emotion. My plan was to take off on my own and follow the campaigns, starting with the Democratic primaries in February. But I also wanted to photograph people and environments that I came across in my travels that didn’t have an overt connection to politics. My original plan was to just show up without an assignment, talk my way into places, and see what happened. Then Olivia Horner of Vogue asked me to do a story on the Iowa caucus before my project had even started, which was a real blessing to have more access than I probably would have had otherwise.
Being feet away from Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden without having much experience photographing politics was surreal. But it all fit into the project I wanted to do. I’m not looking for an A1 photo, where everything is really clear and journalistic. My style is meant to be a bit cryptic.
One thing that surprised me was how close I was able to get to the candidates and some of their unguarded moments, which allowed me to photograph in surprising ways. There’s more freedom than you think to photograph the way you want compared to a Trump rally, where you’re stuck in a pen and it’s much harder.


buzzfeed--2020-11-23--Biden Has Picked A Cuban Immigrant And Former Obama-Era Official To Lead DHS

Alejandro Mayorkas applauds on the field before a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets in 2016 .
President-elect Joe Biden has picked Alejandro Mayorkas , a former top Obama administration official , to run the Department of Homeland Security , which would make him the first Latino and immigrant to serve in the role .
Mayorkas , who was born in Havana , Cuba , and became a US citizen in 1973 , served as the director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services ( USCIS ) and deputy secretary of DHS during the Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2012 when the agency rolled out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals ( DACA ) policy , which sought to protect undocumented immigrants brought to the country at a young age from deportation .
Biden has promised to restore those protections .
“ We have no time to lose when it comes to our national security and foreign policy , ” Biden said in a statement that announced the selection of Mayorkas and others in top roles .
“ I need a team ready on Day One to help me reclaim America ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ table , rally the world to meet the biggest challenges we face , and advance our security , prosperity , and values .
This is the crux of that team.
” Mayorkas ’ s selection comes at the tail end of a tumultuous stretch for the DHS .
President Donald Trump has redefined the role of the Department of Homeland Security while instituting a series of unprecedented immigration restrictions .
Trump banned citizens of Muslim-majority countries from coming to the US , blocked asylum protections at the border , kept asylum-seekers in Mexico @ @ @ @ @ @ @ torrent of policy changes , which the Migration Policy Institute estimated to number more than 400 , had its effect on DHS employees who were told to implement the measures quickly , often without preparation or adequate training .
Many DHS employees believed the agency had begun acting like an arm of the Trump campaign , as senior officials mimicked political talking points and took on public battles with cities like Portland .
DHS has not had a Senate-confirmed leader since the departure of Kirstjen Nielsen in April 2019 , and federal courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not legally appointed .
“ This is one of the toughest jobs in government , ” said one Biden transition team source , who spoke on the condition of anonymity .
“ [ Mayorkas ] is someone who is an experienced leader and has what it takes to rebuild DHS and restore credibility to the department after years of chaos and dysfunction .
He has a proven track record.
” The source added that Mayorkas will create an immigration system that “ reflects our values.
” Mayorkas ’ s family fled Cuba in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to a 2015 profile of him in the Los Angeles Times .
“ He did not want to raise the family in a communist country , ” Mayorkas , who primarily grew up in LA , told the paper of his late father .
“ He believed in democracy , and he understood the perils and the challenges of living otherwise.
” Mayorkas would eventually travel back to Cuba in 2016 to negotiate a memorandum of understanding between the two countries .
Biden ’ s pick to lead DHS was celebrated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Alejandro Mayorkas is a historic and experienced choice to lead an agency in desperate need of reform .
As an immigrant and a creator of the DACA program , he ’ s well suited to undo Trump ’ s damage and build a more compassionate and common sense immigration agenda , ” tweeted Julián Castro .
Former DHS officials who served in the Obama administration were also excited by the selection .
“ He ’ ll bring a very steady national security hand and a finely tuned humanitarian compass to a department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ skilled and dedicated career employees have been inexcusably misused during the Trump administration , ” said one former DHS official .
Since he left government , Mayorkas has been a partner at the law firm WilmerHale .
“ When I was very young , the United States provided my family and me a place of refuge .
Now , I have been nominated to be the DHS Secretary and oversee the protection of all Americans and those who flee persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ announcement of his selection to head DHS .

President-elect Joe Biden has picked Alejandro Mayorkas, a former top Obama administration official, to run the Department of Homeland Security, which would make him the first Latino and immigrant to serve in the role.
Mayorkas, who was born in Havana, Cuba, and became a US citizen in 1973, served as the director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and deputy secretary of DHS during the Obama administration. The 60-year-old led USCIS in 2012 when the agency rolled out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, which sought to protect undocumented immigrants brought to the country at a young age from deportation. Biden has promised to restore those protections.
“We have no time to lose when it comes to our national security and foreign policy,” Biden said in a statement that announced the selection of Mayorkas and others in top roles. “I need a team ready on Day One to help me reclaim America’s seat at the head of the table, rally the world to meet the biggest challenges we face, and advance our security, prosperity, and values. This is the crux of that team.”
Mayorkas’s selection comes at the tail end of a tumultuous stretch for the DHS.
President Donald Trump has redefined the role of the Department of Homeland Security while instituting a series of unprecedented immigration restrictions. Trump banned citizens of Muslim-majority countries from coming to the US, blocked asylum protections at the border, kept asylum-seekers in Mexico, and cut back DACA.
The torrent of policy changes, which the Migration Policy Institute estimated to number more than 400, had its effect on DHS employees who were told to implement the measures quickly, often without preparation or adequate training. Many DHS employees believed the agency had begun acting like an arm of the Trump campaign, as senior officials mimicked political talking points and took on public battles with cities like Portland.
DHS has not had a Senate-confirmed leader since the departure of Kirstjen Nielsen in April 2019, and federal courts have found that the current leadership was not legally appointed.
“This is one of the toughest jobs in government,” said one Biden transition team source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “[Mayorkas] is someone who is an experienced leader and has what it takes to rebuild DHS and restore credibility to the department after years of chaos and dysfunction. He has a proven track record.”
The source added that Mayorkas will create an immigration system that “reflects our values.”
Mayorkas’s family fled Cuba in 1960 after the ascent of Fidel Castro, according to a 2015 profile of him in the Los Angeles Times.
“He did not want to raise the family in a communist country,” Mayorkas, who primarily grew up in LA, told the paper of his late father. “He believed in democracy, and he understood the perils and the challenges of living otherwise.”
Mayorkas would eventually travel back to Cuba in 2016 to negotiate a memorandum of understanding between the two countries.
Biden’s pick to lead DHS was celebrated by some advocates and progressive politicians.
“Alejandro Mayorkas is a historic and experienced choice to lead an agency in desperate need of reform. As an immigrant and a creator of the DACA program, he’s well suited to undo Trump’s damage and build a more compassionate and common sense immigration agenda,” tweeted Julián Castro.
Former DHS officials who served in the Obama administration were also excited by the selection.
“He’ll bring a very steady national security hand and a finely tuned humanitarian compass to a department whose mission has been distorted and whose skilled and dedicated career employees have been inexcusably misused during the Trump administration,” said one former DHS official.
Since he left government, Mayorkas has been a partner at the law firm WilmerHale.
“When I was very young, the United States provided my family and me a place of refuge. Now, I have been nominated to be the DHS Secretary and oversee the protection of all Americans and those who flee persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones,” Mayorkas tweeted on Monday after the announcement of his selection to head DHS.


buzzfeed--2020-11-23--There Is No Democratic Reckoning Coming Over Their Unexpected Election Losses

Democrats were expected to gain seats in the House and Senate .
There doesn ’ t look to be much soul-searching coming for the party .
WASHINGTON — Earlier this month , after a string of losses across the country , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that Democrats had a mandate and wrote to her members encouraging “ unity.
” “ Congratulations on your victory !
Thank you for contributing to the success of a Biden-Harris mandate .
… Let us all be advocates for unity in the Democratic party , where our values are opportunity and community , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Democrats , underlining , in a very on-brand Pelosi move , “ unity ” in the two words .
Instead , House Democrats have spent the weeks since Election Day fighting with each other , intermittently pointing fingers and arguing that disagreements about what caused their losses should be kept internal .
Democrats had predicted they would pick up new seats in the House this election .
Instead , eight incumbent House Democrats have lost their races , and not a single Republican has lost their seat .
Though some races have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is expected to secure about 222 or 223 of the 218 seats necessary to control the House , their slimmest majority since World War II .
The party hasn ’ t coalesced around a clear answer about why and doesn ’ t seem poised to do so .
Moderates have argued that progressive policies allowed Republicans to brand them as socialists , and progressives have argued it was moderates ’ own fault for not campaigning strategically during the pandemic .
Each side feels they have enough evidence to support their own view and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soul-searching for the party as a whole .
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections .
To help keep this news free , become a member .
Democrats seem hesitant to even acknowledge their losses ; Pelosi has said it was a “ challenging ” election with Trump at the top of the ticket but has otherwise argued Democrats retained control of the House for a reason .
It ’ s a mistake that could doom the party even further , considering history is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the president ’ s party has consistently lost seats during the midterm elections .
On a caucus call not long after Election Day , Rep. Abigail Spanberger , a first-term member representing a Virginia swing district , spoke up with her own take on how the election had played out .
“ If we are classifying Tuesday as a success from a congressional standpoint , we will get [ fucking ] torn apart in 2022 , ” Spanberger said , according to an audio recording obtained by the Washington Post .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spanberger ’ s curse , unfortunately . )
The number one concern she heard from people in her district , Spanberger told her colleagues , was about defunding the police — an idea , she argued , that Democrats don ’ t even support .
While many Democrats and activists have used the slogan to call for reforming and demilitarizing police forces , some Democrats , including progressive members of Congress , do support fully defunding police forces .
“ I 've heard from colleagues who have said , ‘ Oh , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We should respect that.
’ We 're in Congress .
We are professionals .
We are supposed to talk about things in the way where we mean what we 're talking about .
If we do n't mean we should defund the police , we should n't say that , ” she said .
“ We want to talk about funding social services and ensuring good engagement in community policing .
Let 's talk about what we are for , and we need to not ever use the words ‘ socialist ’ or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call , like so many House Democratic calls before it , was live-tweeted by several political journalists , leading some members to tell their colleagues to stop leaking .
But not hashing out the party ’ s issues publicly seemed to be the only thing all Democrats could agree on in the days after the election .
The resistance from Democratic leaders to engage with some of the conversations about where the party has failed infuriates activists , who want to be a part of open discussions about how to win nationally .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ viewing what happened in the House and Senate this election as something that we can just brush off and not be concerned about and just have conversations about behind closed doors , ” Evan Weber , the political director for progressive activist group Sunrise Movement , said in a recent interview with BuzzFeed News .
“ We have a real white nationalism problem in this country .
We have a real problem with the way that the Republican Party has weaponized xenophobia and racism and tries to divide people against each other .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ been able to come up with a compelling argument to combat that … is deeply , deeply troubling and problematic , and inexcusable , frankly.
” Weber added , “ There are lots of people , particularly activists , particularly organizers on the ground , who 've been sounding the alarm about the Democratic Party 's sort of weaknesses and failures up until this point that certainly should be a part of that conversation.
” Analyst Kyle Kondik of Sabato ’ s Crystal Ball said he , like other experts , thought it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this cycle .
Several factors look to have contributed to that miss , including somewhat inaccurate polling and a small but significant group of people who split their tickets , voting for Biden for president but then voting for Republicans in Congress and on the state and local levels .
Ideologically , Kondik said , there weren ’ t clear patterns about who won and who lost , which contributes to the difficulty of having a real reckoning in the increasingly polarized party .
More moderate Democrats like Reps. Max Rose of New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their races in swing districts , but so too did progressive Democratic candidate Kara Eastman in Nebraska .
Progressive Rep. Katie Porter won comfortably in her California swing district , while Spanberger barely held on in Virginia , as did fellow moderate Rep. Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania .
“ I think after an election like this , I think it 's fair to say that you know with a fairly divided result that both parties have strengths and weaknesses that they need to think about , ” Kondik said .
“ But I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Democratic House majority is in serious trouble [ in 2022 ] .
” Rep. Pramila Jayapal , the cochair of the House Progressive Caucus , said the party needs to have a “ big conversation , ” but added that it ’ s easier “ to have a real conversation ” away from the public eye .
Still , she thinks the problem is organizing in communities of color and really turning out voters who could be reliable votes for the party but for whom the party hasn ’ t delivered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is many of us have been screaming from the rooftops for a long time , about the need to , number one , organize year-round , not just right before the election , but actually spend money investing in organizing infrastructure that reaches out to what should be the base of the Democratic Party , ” she said .
“ In other words , not those white conservative voters that may or may not vote for us , but you know , women , moms , as well as brown and Black folks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they really have n't seen results being delivered for them.
” If you have a news tip , we ’ d like to hear from you .
Reach out to us via one of our tip line channels .
Rep. Ami Bera of California , the fundraising chair for the moderate NewDem Action Fund , said in an interview with BuzzFeed News that he was disappointed by the election results .
“ I described the election a little bit different than Speaker Pelosi , ” Bera said .
“ I think our goal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not to have any of our colleagues lose .
So by that metric , you know , we lost some really valuable members of Congress , and for that I 'm sad , and that bothers me.
” Still , Bera said he didn ’ t see what Democrats could have done differently in several races they lost , pointing to Rep. Joe Cunningham ’ s loss in South Carolina .
“ There 's nothing about his campaign that … we could have improved on — [ we ] raised resources to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of the day , he lost by one percentage point in a district that I bet Trump is gon na win by 10 to 13 points , ” Bera said .
“ So , you know , that 's just tough terrain.
” But the party clearly needs to better understand some voters of color , Bera said , who broke in higher numbers for Trump this cycle than they did four years ago .
“ We have to understand the Latinx community a little bit better , and because Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community , and to the life of me , I do n't understand how he would do that or how he could do that , but he did , and , you know , also with African American men , ” the lawmaker said .
“ So I think this is a deep dive for all of us as a party to better understand those communities , to make sure we 're speaking directly to the issues that they care about , and obviously , using effective tools of communication.
” Rep. Alexandria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats ’ communication failures this cycle .
( Notably , when Ocasio-Cortez says “ defund the police , ” she means it .
Last week , after Sen. Joe Manchin tweeted , “ Defund the police ?
Defund , my butt , ” Ocasio-Cortez posted a picture of herself from the State of the Union glaring at Manchin while he clapped for Trump , which garnered more than 570,000 likes . )
In the weeks since Election Day , she has argued that moderates were not digitally strategic enough during their campaigns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ messaging that they feel killed them , right ?
But why were you so vulnerable to that attack ?
” Ocasio-Cortez told the New York Times earlier this month .
“ Our party isn ’ t even online , not in a real way that exhibits competence .
And so , yeah , they were vulnerable to these messages , because they weren ’ t even on the mediums where these messages were most potent .
Sure , you can point to the message , but they were also sitting ducks.
” And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t just brushing off Ocasio-Cortez ’ s advice .
“ I think there 's something for all of us to learn , obviously , ” he said , adding that he does n't think it was a question of progressives versus moderates .
“ I appreciate Representative Ocasio-Cortez and what she 's able to do in terms of , you know , communicate with younger folks and motivate younger folks , and there 's something that we can certainly learn from them.
” Pelosi , for her part , has denied @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause any issues when the party gets to governing .
“ We always have a beautiful dynamism in our caucus , ” she said at a recent press conference .
“ I would say we have a healthy difference of opinion within our caucus , but not in any way to be problematic in how we legislate.
” The party is currently searching for a new leader for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee , which heads up House Democratic organizing and recruiting for each election cycle .
Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had preached a moderate Democratic message focused on winning and holding on to seats in swing and Republican-leading districts and instituted a blacklist on consultants who worked on ( often progressive ) campaigns challenging Democratic incumbents .
After only narrowly winning her own race , Bustos announced she would step down from the DCCC .
Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York and Tony Cárdenas of California are vying for her role , and Roll Call has reported that both have said they are open to lifting the blacklist , which had infuriated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t end , however , with the coming midterm elections : As FiveThirtyEight reported this week , Republicans won almost every election where redistricting was at stake , meaning the GOP will have the ability to draw congressional districts in their favor , securing their electoral advantage for years to come .
“ There may be nothing that Democrats can do to hold on to the House , given the weight of history .
But they really need to think about what can they do as a majority to hold that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , requires soul-searching , ” Kondik , of Sabato ’ s Crystal Ball , said .
“ I do n't know what the answers are .
There may not be an answer .
It may be that they ’ re screwed.
” ●

WASHINGTON — Earlier this month, after a string of losses across the country, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that Democrats had a mandate and wrote to her members encouraging “unity.”
“Congratulations on your victory! Thank you for contributing to the success of a Biden-Harris mandate. … Let us all be advocates for unity in the Democratic party, where our values are opportunity and community,” she said in a letter to fellow House Democrats, underlining, in a very on-brand Pelosi move, “unity” in the two words.
Instead, House Democrats have spent the weeks since Election Day fighting with each other, intermittently pointing fingers and arguing that disagreements about what caused their losses should be kept internal.
Democrats had predicted they would pick up new seats in the House this election. Instead, eight incumbent House Democrats have lost their races, and not a single Republican has lost their seat.
Though some races have not yet been called, the party is expected to secure about 222 or 223 of the 218 seats necessary to control the House, their slimmest majority since World War II.
The party hasn’t coalesced around a clear answer about why and doesn’t seem poised to do so. Moderates have argued that progressive policies allowed Republicans to brand them as socialists, and progressives have argued it was moderates’ own fault for not campaigning strategically during the pandemic. Each side feels they have enough evidence to support their own view and there are no signs of any serious soul-searching for the party as a whole.
BuzzFeed News has journalists around the US bringing you trustworthy stories on the 2020 elections. To help keep this news free, become a member.
Democrats seem hesitant to even acknowledge their losses; Pelosi has said it was a “challenging” election with Trump at the top of the ticket but has otherwise argued Democrats retained control of the House for a reason. It’s a mistake that could doom the party even further, considering history is not on their side going into 2022, as the president’s party has consistently lost seats during the midterm elections.
On a caucus call not long after Election Day, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a first-term member representing a Virginia swing district, spoke up with her own take on how the election had played out.


buzzfeed--2020-11-23--A Judge Demolished The Trump Campaign’s Effort To Undo Biden’s Win In Pennsylvania And Push Fraud Co

A Judge Demolished The Trump Campaign’s Effort To Undo Biden’s Win In Pennsylvania And Push Fraud Conspiracies

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday night faced one of his biggest legal setbacks to date in a three-week period defined by repeat court losses , with a federal judge rejecting his effort to stop Pennsylvania from certifying President-elect Joe Biden as the state ’ s winner .
The Pennsylvania ruling was the latest failed attempt by Trump and his supporters to translate baseless theories of widespread voter fraud into winning legal arguments and pursue an overarching legal strategy that could actually change the results of the election .
Trump has yet to meaningfully change vote tallies in any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to court so far .
US District Judge Matthew Brann , who sits in Williamsport , Pennsylvania , painstakingly picked apart the Trump campaign ’ s lawsuit in his 37-page opinion .
He found the campaign ’ s arguments unclear and hard to thread together , at one point comparing them to “ Frankenstein ’ s Monster.
” He wrote that the campaign failed to clear the critical first hurdle of having standing to bring the case at all , and that even if it had done so , it had failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violated voting rights .
Brann wrote that in asking the court to undo millions of legally cast votes , he would expect a plaintiff to “ come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption.
” However , he continued , “ that has not happened.
” “ [ T ] his Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations , unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence , ” Brann wrote .
“ In the United States of America , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single voter , let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state .
Our people , laws , and institutions demand more.
” Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis , two lawyers leading the Trump campaign ’ s postelection legal efforts , attempted to spin the loss as a win , saying in a statement that it would help them move more quickly toward getting the US Supreme Court involved .
Trump has longed pushed the idea that the Supreme Court will decide the election , but there ’ s no guarantee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case like the one he ’ s pursuing in Pennsylvania — unlike in 2000 , when the court stepped in because the election hinged on one state , Florida , where a specific number of ballots were at issue , Trump would have to flip multiple states to reverse Biden ’ s victory .
Giuliani and Ellis said the campaign would file for an emergency appeal in the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit , and then petition the Supreme Court if it lost again .
It also tried to undermine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was nominated by former president Barack Obama , but Republican Sen. Pat Toomey released a statement after the ruling that described Brann as a “ longtime conservative Republican ” ; Brann was a compromise nominee by the Obama administration .
Trump , his lawyers , and his Republican supporters have pushed false claims that the election was tainted by widespread and pervasive fraud because many states expanded mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic .
However , as Giuliani was forced to admit at a hearing last week before Brann , the campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pennsylvania didn ’ t feature a specific claim for fraud .
Instead , the campaign shoehorned fraud theories into claims that Pennsylvania election officials unconstitutionally gave counties a choice in deciding whether to let voters “ cure ” defective absentee ballots .
The campaign ’ s coplaintiffs were two Pennsylvania voters whose ballots were canceled — one didn ’ t put his ballot in a special secrecy envelope , and the other didn ’ t know the reason .
They each lived in counties that decided to not give voters a chance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them , and they argued that it was unfair that Pennsylvanians in other counties , like Philadelphia , had a way to save their votes .
In the original version of the complaint , the campaign also lodged claims that its poll watchers were unconstitutionally denied access to watch ballot counting , but the campaign filed an amended lawsuit that cut those counts after an appeals court decision in another case undercut their legal theory .
Giuliani , who only formally entered an appearance in the case last week after two sets of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ file a third version of the complaint that revived arguments that had been cut , but Brann declined to let him do that .
Brann noted that despite only being filed two weeks ago , the case already had a “ tortured procedural history.
” The version of the lawsuit that the judge ruled on in Saturday ’ s opinion featured two counts , down from seven in the original complaint — one alleging that the fact that some counties allowed voters to “ cure ” deficient absentee ballots and other counties did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the US Constitution , and one alleging that Pennsylvania election officials ran afoul of the state legislature ’ s authority to run elections under the Constitution ’ s Electors and Elections Clauses .
As Brann noted in Saturday ’ s opinion , the campaign conceded that a recent decision in a different case before the 3rd Circuit made clear that only the state legislature could sue under the Electors and Election Clauses , so the campaign no longer had standing ; the campaign said it would leave it in the complaint to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the equal protection claim .
Brann described the Trump campaign ’ s construction of this claim as being “ like Frankenstein ’ s Monster , ” explaining that the campaign had “ haphazardly stitched together ” different legal theories to try to avoid legal precedent that would undermine it .
The sweeping argument that it was unconstitutional for Pennsylvania to let counties decide if they wanted to offer a “ notice and cure ” process was barred by the 3rd Circuit ’ s recent decision in another election-related case .
On the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign had also tried to squeeze in a narrower claim that the two voters serving as individual plaintiffs had standing because they were harmed by the county-by-county approach because their votes were , in fact , canceled .
Brann wrote that the campaign had essentially made two separate equal protection claims , not one — but even analyzing the lawsuit that way still couldn ’ t save it , he concluded , because none of the plaintiffs had standing .
Brann wrote that the problem for the two individual plaintiffs was that Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they named as the defendant , wasn ’ t responsible for their votes being canceled .
The relief they were asking for from the court — to stop Pennsylvania from certifying the results statewide — also wouldn ’ t change their situation , the judge wrote .
“ Prohibiting certification of the election results would not reinstate the Individual Plaintiffs ’ right to vote , ” Brann wrote .
“ It would simply deny more than 6.8 million people their right to vote.
” The Trump campaign ’ s argument for why it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ particularly nebulous , ” Brann wrote , explaining that the lawyers hadn ’ t clearly stated what the campaign ’ s injury was , so he had to do his own analysis of each of the cases cited by the campaign to “ piece together ” the theory .
The judge found that the campaign ’ s interests were different from those of voters — knocking down their argument for what ’ s known as “ associational standing ” — and that it was n't claiming that an ineligible candidate was on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for what ’ s known as “ competitive standing.
” Brann found that the campaign ’ s equal protection argument would fail even if it had standing to sue .
In looking at whether Pennsylvania had placed a burden on individuals ’ right to vote , the judge wrote that the fact that some counties decided to give voters a chance to save their ballots expanded the right to vote — and that did not burden the voting rights of Pennsylvanians who weren ’ t given that same choice by their county election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ failed to back up its theory that state election officials somehow specially arranged for Democratic-leaning counties to adopt a “ notice and cure ” process for absentee ballots .
He also found that the campaign failed to support its theory that poll watchers representing Trump were treated differently from observers representing Biden .
Claims that Trump poll observers were denied access to watch ballots being counted in cities and states that Biden won have been a cornerstone of his post-election efforts to undermine Biden ’ s win .
But the campaign has failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ across the country with that theory .
Even if Trump ’ s campaign or the individual voters could prove their case , the judge rejected the idea that the court should then toss out every vote in Pennsylvania .
“ Plaintiffs seek to remedy the denial of their votes by invalidating the votes of millions of others .
Rather than requesting that their votes be counted , they seek to discredit scores of other votes , but only for one race , ” Brann wrote .
“ This is simply not how the @ @ @ @

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday night faced one of his biggest legal setbacks to date in a three-week period defined by repeat court losses, with a federal judge rejecting his effort to stop Pennsylvania from certifying President-elect Joe Biden as the state’s winner.
The Pennsylvania ruling was the latest failed attempt by Trump and his supporters to translate baseless theories of widespread voter fraud into winning legal arguments and pursue an overarching legal strategy that could actually change the results of the election. Trump has yet to meaningfully change vote tallies in any of the states that Biden won by going to court so far.
US District Judge Matthew Brann, who sits in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, painstakingly picked apart the Trump campaign’s lawsuit in his 37-page opinion. He found the campaign’s arguments unclear and hard to thread together, at one point comparing them to “Frankenstein’s Monster.” He wrote that the campaign failed to clear the critical first hurdle of having standing to bring the case at all, and that even if it had done so, it had failed to prove that Pennsylvania election officials unconstitutionally violated voting rights.
Brann wrote that in asking the court to undo millions of legally cast votes, he would expect a plaintiff to “come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption.” However, he continued, “that has not happened.”
“[T]his Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence,” Brann wrote. “In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state. Our people, laws, and institutions demand more.”
Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, two lawyers leading the Trump campaign’s postelection legal efforts, attempted to spin the loss as a win, saying in a statement that it would help them move more quickly toward getting the US Supreme Court involved. Trump has longed pushed the idea that the Supreme Court will decide the election, but there’s no guarantee the justices would agree to take a case like the one he’s pursuing in Pennsylvania — unlike in 2000, when the court stepped in because the election hinged on one state, Florida, where a specific number of ballots were at issue, Trump would have to flip multiple states to reverse Biden’s victory.
Giuliani and Ellis said the campaign would file for an emergency appeal in the US Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, and then petition the Supreme Court if it lost again. It also tried to undermine Brann’s credibility by noting that he was nominated by former president Barack Obama, but Republican Sen. Pat Toomey released a statement after the ruling that described Brann as a “longtime conservative Republican”; Brann was a compromise nominee by the Obama administration.
Trump, his lawyers, and his Republican supporters have pushed false claims that the election was tainted by widespread and pervasive fraud because many states expanded mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic. However, as Giuliani was forced to admit at a hearing last week before Brann, the campaign’s lawsuit in federal court in Pennsylvania didn’t feature a specific claim for fraud.
Instead, the campaign shoehorned fraud theories into claims that Pennsylvania election officials unconstitutionally gave counties a choice in deciding whether to let voters “cure” defective absentee ballots. The campaign’s coplaintiffs were two Pennsylvania voters whose ballots were canceled — one didn’t put his ballot in a special secrecy envelope, and the other didn’t know the reason. They each lived in counties that decided to not give voters a chance to “cure” ballot deficiencies before canceling them, and they argued that it was unfair that Pennsylvanians in other counties, like Philadelphia, had a way to save their votes.
In the original version of the complaint, the campaign also lodged claims that its poll watchers were unconstitutionally denied access to watch ballot counting, but the campaign filed an amended lawsuit that cut those counts after an appeals court decision in another case undercut their legal theory.
Giuliani, who only formally entered an appearance in the case last week after two sets of lawyers had dropped out, attempted to file a third version of the complaint that revived arguments that had been cut, but Brann declined to let him do that. Brann noted that despite only being filed two weeks ago, the case already had a “tortured procedural history.”
The version of the lawsuit that the judge ruled on in Saturday’s opinion featured two counts, down from seven in the original complaint — one alleging that the fact that some counties allowed voters to “cure” deficient absentee ballots and other counties did not violated voters’ equal protection rights under the US Constitution, and one alleging that Pennsylvania election officials ran afoul of the state legislature’s authority to run elections under the Constitution’s Electors and Elections Clauses.
As Brann noted in Saturday’s opinion, the campaign conceded that a recent decision in a different case before the 3rd Circuit made clear that only the state legislature could sue under the Electors and Election Clauses, so the campaign no longer had standing; the campaign said it would leave it in the complaint to appeal that issue later.
That left the equal protection claim. Brann described the Trump campaign’s construction of this claim as being “like Frankenstein’s Monster,” explaining that the campaign had “haphazardly stitched together” different legal theories to try to avoid legal precedent that would undermine it. The sweeping argument that it was unconstitutional for Pennsylvania to let counties decide if they wanted to offer a “notice and cure” process was barred by the 3rd Circuit’s recent decision in another election-related case.
On the other hand, the judge wrote, the campaign had also tried to squeeze in a narrower claim that the two voters serving as individual plaintiffs had standing because they were harmed by the county-by-county approach because their votes were, in fact, canceled. Brann wrote that the campaign had essentially made two separate equal protection claims, not one — but even analyzing the lawsuit that way still couldn’t save it, he concluded, because none of the plaintiffs had standing.
Brann wrote that the problem for the two individual plaintiffs was that Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathleen Boockvar, who they named as the defendant, wasn’t responsible for their votes being canceled. The relief they were asking for from the court — to stop Pennsylvania from certifying the results statewide — also wouldn’t change their situation, the judge wrote.
“Prohibiting certification of the election results would not reinstate the Individual Plaintiffs’ right to vote,” Brann wrote. “It would simply deny more than 6.8 million people their right to vote.”
The Trump campaign’s argument for why it had standing to bring the case was “particularly nebulous,” Brann wrote, explaining that the lawyers hadn’t clearly stated what the campaign’s injury was, so he had to do his own analysis of each of the cases cited by the campaign to “piece together” the theory. The judge found that the campaign’s interests were different from those of voters — knocking down their argument for what’s known as “associational standing” — and that it wasn't claiming that an ineligible candidate was on the ballot — knocking down their argument for what’s known as “competitive standing.”
Brann found that the campaign’s equal protection argument would fail even if it had standing to sue. In looking at whether Pennsylvania had placed a burden on individuals’ right to vote, the judge wrote that the fact that some counties decided to give voters a chance to save their ballots expanded the right to vote — and that did not burden the voting rights of Pennsylvanians who weren’t given that same choice by their county election officials.
The judge found the campaign failed to back up its theory that state election officials somehow specially arranged for Democratic-leaning counties to adopt a “notice and cure” process for absentee ballots. He also found that the campaign failed to support its theory that poll watchers representing Trump were treated differently from observers representing Biden.
Claims that Trump poll observers were denied access to watch ballots being counted in cities and states that Biden won have been a cornerstone of his post-election efforts to undermine Biden’s win. But the campaign has failed to make any real headway in courts across the country with that theory.
Even if Trump’s campaign or the individual voters could prove their case, the judge rejected the idea that the court should then toss out every vote in Pennsylvania.
“Plaintiffs seek to remedy the denial of their votes by invalidating the votes of millions of others. Rather than requesting that their votes be counted, they seek to discredit scores of other votes, but only for one race,” Brann wrote. “This is simply not how the Constitution works.”


buzzfeed--2020-11-23--The US Just Passed 12 Million Total COVID Cases As People Start To Travel For Thanksgiving

On Friday , as people began crowding in airports to travel for the holiday , the US set a daily incidence record with 195,542 new coronavirus cases .
Americans are beginning their treks home for the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend , doing so in the face of uncertainty from political leadership and a surge in coronavirus case numbers , which have consistently reached new heights in November .
On Friday , the United States set a daily incidence record for the country of 195,542 confirmed new cases of the novel coronavirus , according to data compiled by researchers at Johns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the record set only the previous day before when the nation totaled just under 188,000 new cases .
Those numbers come as Americans hop on planes or pile in cars and make their way to see loved ones after months of on-again , off-again social distancing , changing local and state regulations , and weak guidance from federal authorities .
On Thursday — when the US recorded a new daily incidence record that was then broken the next day — the CDC issued a “ strong ” warning telling people that the safest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so only with the people they live with .
“ Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu , ” the CDC cautioned , while noting that more than 1 million COVID-19 cases were reported in the US in the previous seven days .
Still , that guidance came only a week before the Thanksgiving holiday , a known popular travel period every year , and after experts had been warning for months of a possible surge during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ congregate would likely do so inside .
“ We know we ’ re going to get cases after Thanksgiving , ” Amesh Adalja , infectious diseases physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security , previously told BuzzFeed News .
“ It ’ s just a question of trying to keep them as minimal as possible.
” It does not appear the country will be able to keep it minimal .
The US surpassed 12 million total confirmed cases on Saturday after recently exceeding 250,000 total deaths , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ projection suggests another 200,000 people will die by the beginning of March .
On Thursday , the White House coronavirus task force held a press briefing — its first public appearance in months — at which Vice President Mike Pence tried to offer reassurances about the anticipated vaccines .
`` We 've continued to be on the same mission we 've been on throughout the course of this year , and that is to save American lives , '' Pence said without endorsing the CDC 's recommendation for Americans not to travel for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virologist at the Center for Infection and Immunity at the Columbia University School of Public Health , said that even though messaging from the CDC was “ a little late , ” the agency had been hamstrung by the Trump administration .
“ It would have been helpful if we could have been preparing people for months , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
“ But to a certain degree , we did not imagine back in March that this response would be so horrible that we would be looking at 300,000 or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year.
” It ’ s too early to tell how the CDC ’ s recommendation , which came long after many people had made holiday plans and booked travel , will affect people looking to gather around Thanksgiving meals with their families .
Early images and video from airports around the country suggest that many will take the risk .
“ It ’ s really very concerning because it ’ s not just what people are doing at the airport , ” said Rasmussen .
“ It ’ s also the reason they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is presumably to go to have in-person meals with their families.
” She said she plans on holding a virtual Thanksgiving with family members she doesn ’ t live with , calling it an investment in the future .
In a video taken at Phoenix ’ s Sky Harbor International airport and shared by local reporter Max Gorden , large crowds of mostly masked people had already started to form as people waited to fly off to different parts of the country .
Arizona reported 4,471 new coronavirus cases on Friday , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s fast approaching the state ’ s daily incidence record of 4,877 set in July .

Americans are beginning their treks home for the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend, doing so in the face of uncertainty from political leadership and a surge in coronavirus case numbers, which have consistently reached new heights in November.
On Friday, the United States set a daily incidence record for the country of 195,542 confirmed new cases of the novel coronavirus, according to data compiled by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. That new high shattered the record set only the previous day before when the nation totaled just under 188,000 new cases.
Those numbers come as Americans hop on planes or pile in cars and make their way to see loved ones after months of on-again, off-again social distancing, changing local and state regulations, and weak guidance from federal authorities. On Thursday — when the US recorded a new daily incidence record that was then broken the next day — the CDC issued a “strong” warning telling people that the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving was to do so only with the people they live with.
“Gatherings with family and friends who do not live with you can increase the chances of getting or spreading COVID-19 or the flu,” the CDC cautioned, while noting that more than 1 million COVID-19 cases were reported in the US in the previous seven days.
Still, that guidance came only a week before the Thanksgiving holiday, a known popular travel period every year, and after experts had been warning for months of a possible surge during winter, when those who choose to congregate would likely do so inside.


buzzfeed--2020-11-23--Democrats' New Plan To Win Georgia's Crucial Senate Seats In A Pandemic Is To Actually Knock On Door

Democrats' New Plan To Win Georgia's Crucial Senate Seats In A Pandemic Is To Actually Knock On Doors

`` It ’ s about having high-quality face-to-face conversations , and we tend to be able to do that by knocking on people ’ s doors , '' said the executive director of New Georgia Project .
With the Senate majority up for grabs , supporters of Georgia Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev .
Raphael Warnock are embracing a strategy in the January runoffs that Democrats largely avoided during the general election due to the coronavirus pandemic : door-knocking .
The stakes couldn ’ t be any higher in Georgia .
After losing competitive races in Maine , Iowa , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ win both seats in the state to clinch a working majority in a 50-50 Senate with Vice President–elect Kamala Harris serving as a tiebreaker .
Then , and only then , will they have even a chance at passing the kind of legislation needed to achieve President-elect Joe Biden ’ s plans for tackling racial inequality , revving up the pandemic-struck economy , slashing climate pollution , and more .
Democrats are optimistic after Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since 1992 .
But they know it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they did not secure down-ballot victories for Ossoff and Warnock the first time around .
Moreover , Republicans have historically fared better in the state ’ s runoff elections , where there ’ s a dropoff in the number of voters who participate compared to general elections .
So a growing number of progressive organizers are masking up to register new eligible voters and motivate people to go back to the polls despite surging coronavirus infections and hospitalizations .
More than 250,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the next weeks will likely be brutal .
And while new cases are currently not as high in Georgia as they were in July , infections are on the rise .
“ I think we ’ re still trying to figure out exactly what the right formula is , ” said Brionté McCorkle , executive director of the environmental group Georgia Conservation Voters .
“ There ’ s a lot of digital engagement in response to COVID-19 , but I think that folks are seeing that there was a loss by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revived strategy in Georgia is markedly different than the Democratic Party ’ s approach to canvassing during the general election .
While the pandemic spread across the country in the lead up to Nov. 3 , Democrats steered away from in-person canvassing and relied heavily on digital field programs like phone-banking and texting to turn out their voters .
Some national Democrats , like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , have pointed to sparse field programs in post-election analyses of why the party underperformed expectations in House and Senate races .
“ The decision to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to grapple with and analyze , ” she tweeted in the days after the election .
Evan Weber , the political director and cofounder of the Sunrise Movement , echoed Ocasio-Cortez ’ s analysis .
“ Democrats , somewhat wisely in line with public health standards , didn ’ t invest heavily in field operations in the middle of a pandemic , ” he told BuzzFeed News .
“ I think there were some decisions made by party operatives where we could ’ ve done some of that in a safe way ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats of all political ideologies.
” The push for in-person campaigning is not coming directly from either of the Democratic Senate campaigns , at least not publicly .
“ Rising COVID cases are a huge consideration here and how can we do this safely , ” an Ossoff campaign spokesperson told BuzzFeed News about door-knocking .
“ That ’ s going to be a decision we ’ ll have to make down the road.
” Warnock ’ s campaign has largely focused its volunteers on phone-banking and dropping off literature at voters ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first , and we try to have a hyperawareness around the precautions we ’ re taking related to the virus , ” a spokesperson for Warnock ’ s campaign told BuzzFeed News .
The two Democratic challengers have opted for drive-in rallies and outdoor events , sometimes together , where masking and social distancing is enforced .
Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler , the Republican incumbents , are going all in on in-person campaigning , often without basic COVID-19 precautions .
At a “ Save Our Majority ” rally last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maskless supporters gathered in a windowless room .
Door-knocking has always been a core part of campaigning for former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams ’ New Georgia Project , a nonpartisan group that has registered thousands of new voters across the state .
The mesh of in-person and digital efforts was a resounding success , with the group getting much of the credit for helping spur record turnout among Black communities statewide .
The organization has around 100 organizers on the ground and plans to scale up its field program during the runoffs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high-quality face-to-face conversations , and we tend to be able to do that by knocking on people ’ s doors , ” executive director Nsé Ufot told BuzzFeed News .
“ We try to have high-quality conversations where people get to be reflective and talk about the fears and the hopes that they have .
That ’ s our central tactic , and sometimes that ’ s in one-on-one conversations at doors ; sometimes that ’ s at small group meetings in church basements , or housing projects , or cafés with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Project has already identified over 100,000 new eligible Georgian voters to register to vote ahead of the Dec. 7 deadline .
For many other groups though , the focus on in-person get-out-the-vote efforts is a shift from the general election .
In some cases , New Georgia Project is helping make this possible .
“ We ’ ve largely relied on larger groups like New Georgia Project to be able to do that door-to-door work , ” said McCorkle of Georgia Conservation Voters .
“ We are actually introducing COVID-safe canvassing because what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is door-to-door contact is still one of the more successful ways to engage voters , ” Shanté Wolfe , coordinated campaigns director at the Sunrise Movement , told BuzzFeed News .
“ In this case , it will be doorstep to doorstep to do social distancing.
” And the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced last week that it was committing to a multimillion-dollar field effort that would include on-the-ground field organizers to help turnout and voter registration efforts .
In one of House Democrats ’ only pickups of the election , Rep.-elect Carolyn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ switched its voter outreach programs to digital as the pandemic spread .
Now , as Bourdeaux ’ s team focuses on assisting Ossoff and Warnock , her campaign manager , Shelbi Dantic , told BuzzFeed News that it ’ s open to the possibility of in-person campaigning .
“ Moving forward , and as we ’ re thinking about how Carolyn ’ s campaign and our field teams plug into the runoff , I think there ’ s an opportunity to feel really good about if we are knocking doors to get people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think is going to take an extra step or two to get them to go out to the polls , ” she told BuzzFeed News .
Dantic added that the campaign would follow the Senate campaigns ’ direction , but that they weren ’ t completely opposed to canvassing in person .
But the uptick in coronavirus cases is an ever-present worry .
To stay safe , organizers are donning personal protective equipment , such as masks and face shields , and trying to meet outdoors .
“ We ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hub meeting in a park on Sunday , ” Wolfe said .
“ We ’ re doing it rain or shine because we understand the urgency of this moment and we ’ re not afraid of a little rain.
” The pandemic is also a big reason some local organizers are telling people from out of state to stay home and leave the ground efforts to them .
“ We ’ re not encouraging anyone to come here from out of state .
We know that our medical infrastructure in south Georgia isn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we understand that rates of the virus are increasing .
So we ’ re encouraging people from out of state to text with us , and that robust program is moving , ” said Britney Whaley , a political strategist with the Working Families Party .
“ If people are from here and they want to get involved and canvass , ” she said , “ that program is happening , and we ’ ve padded our staff to make sure that our folks are safe.
” The organization is dedicating certain staffers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take the temperatures of canvassers and distribute literature to members to avoid big gatherings ; it is also planning some outdoor meetings .
“ We ’ re giving out additional PPE to canvassers .
This may sound extra , but if people answer the doors with no mask , we ’ re asking them to close the door so we can leave them some so that they can put on the mask and then we can engage with them from 6 feet away , ” Whaley said .
“ If they don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at home , then we just move on to the next door .
There ’ s no pressure for our canvassers to be in someone ’ s face or engage.
” National progressive groups are now focusing their attention on the Georgia races even without sending in staffers and volunteers .
At the National Resources Defense Council ( NRDC ) Action Fund , executive director Kevin Curtis is encouraging donors and members to give money .
“ Give money to the candidates , give money to Stacey Abrams ’ group , give money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of which is going to be focused on getting people to turn out to vote , ” he told BuzzFeed News .
Donating to Ossoff , Warnock , and the Georgia Senate Victory Fund all currently feature prominently on the online GiveGreen platform , a collaboration between the environmental groups NRDC , billionaire Tom Steyer ’ s NextGen America , and the League of Conservation Voters .
●

Door-knocking has always been a core part of campaigning for former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’ New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan group that has registered thousands of new voters across the state. The mesh of in-person and digital efforts was a resounding success, with the group getting much of the credit for helping spur record turnout among Black communities statewide. The organization has around 100 organizers on the ground and plans to scale up its field program during the runoffs.
“It’s about having high-quality face-to-face conversations, and we tend to be able to do that by knocking on people’s doors,” executive director Nsé Ufot told BuzzFeed News. “We try to have high-quality conversations where people get to be reflective and talk about the fears and the hopes that they have. That’s our central tactic, and sometimes that’s in one-on-one conversations at doors; sometimes that’s at small group meetings in church basements, or housing projects, or cafés with a number of community leaders.”
New Georgia Project has already identified over 100,000 new eligible Georgian voters to register to vote ahead of the Dec. 7 deadline.
For many other groups though, the focus on in-person get-out-the-vote efforts is a shift from the general election. In some cases, New Georgia Project is helping make this possible.
“We’ve largely relied on larger groups like New Georgia Project to be able to do that door-to-door work,” said McCorkle of Georgia Conservation Voters.
“We are actually introducing COVID-safe canvassing because what we’ve seen in the South is door-to-door contact is still one of the more successful ways to engage voters,” Shanté Wolfe, coordinated campaigns director at the Sunrise Movement, told BuzzFeed News. “In this case, it will be doorstep to doorstep to do social distancing.”
And the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee announced last week that it was committing to a multimillion-dollar field effort that would include on-the-ground field organizers to help turnout and voter registration efforts.
In one of House Democrats’ only pickups of the election, Rep.-elect Carolyn Bourdeaux’s suburban Atlanta campaign fully switched its voter outreach programs to digital as the pandemic spread. Now, as Bourdeaux’s team focuses on assisting Ossoff and Warnock, her campaign manager, Shelbi Dantic, told BuzzFeed News that it’s open to the possibility of in-person campaigning.
“Moving forward, and as we’re thinking about how Carolyn’s campaign and our field teams plug into the runoff, I think there’s an opportunity to feel really good about if we are knocking doors to get people engaged in a runoff election, which I think is going to take an extra step or two to get them to go out to the polls,” she told BuzzFeed News.
Dantic added that the campaign would follow the Senate campaigns’ direction, but that they weren’t completely opposed to canvassing in person.
But the uptick in coronavirus cases is an ever-present worry. To stay safe, organizers are donning personal protective equipment, such as masks and face shields, and trying to meet outdoors.
“We’re going to be having our first full runoff hub meeting in a park on Sunday,” Wolfe said. “We’re doing it rain or shine because we understand the urgency of this moment and we’re not afraid of a little rain.”
The pandemic is also a big reason some local organizers are telling people from out of state to stay home and leave the ground efforts to them.
“We’re not encouraging anyone to come here from out of state. We know that our medical infrastructure in south Georgia isn’t up to par, and we understand that rates of the virus are increasing. So we’re encouraging people from out of state to text with us, and that robust program is moving,” said Britney Whaley, a political strategist with the Working Families Party.
“If people are from here and they want to get involved and canvass,” she said, “that program is happening, and we’ve padded our staff to make sure that our folks are safe.”
The organization is dedicating certain staffers as “safety captains” who will take the temperatures of canvassers and distribute literature to members to avoid big gatherings; it is also planning some outdoor meetings.
“We’re giving out additional PPE to canvassers. This may sound extra, but if people answer the doors with no mask, we’re asking them to close the door so we can leave them some so that they can put on the mask and then we can engage with them from 6 feet away,” Whaley said. “If they don’t want to because they’re at home, then we just move on to the next door. There’s no pressure for our canvassers to be in someone’s face or engage.”
National progressive groups are now focusing their attention on the Georgia races even without sending in staffers and volunteers.
At the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Action Fund, executive director Kevin Curtis is encouraging donors and members to give money. “Give money to the candidates, give money to Stacey Abrams’ group, give money to the Georgia Democratic Party, all of which is going to be focused on getting people to turn out to vote,” he told BuzzFeed News.
Donating to Ossoff, Warnock, and the Georgia Senate Victory Fund all currently feature prominently on the online GiveGreen platform, a collaboration between the environmental groups NRDC, billionaire Tom Steyer’s NextGen America, and the League of Conservation Voters. ●


buzzfeed--2020-11-23--1 In 3 Americans Didn't Vote. Should We Force Them To Next Time?

Advocates for compulsory voting in the US are looking for a state to be an electoral guinea pig .
They said forcing everyone to vote would fix a lot of problems .
The 2020 election ( finally ) ended this month , with voters handing Joe Biden the presidency and breaking a huge record in the process : the highest turnout in a US election since 1908 .
Over 22 million more Americans voted in 2020 than in 2016 , following massive get-out-the-vote campaigns by both sides , expanded early and absentee voting due to the coronavirus pandemic , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that served as a political awakening for many voters .
That historic turnout ?
Still just about two-thirds of eligible voters .
Voter turnout has never been America ’ s strong suit .
The US , which talks a big game about the democratic process , typically manages to have just over half of its eligible voters participating in presidential elections .
In midterm elections and local races , turnout tends to be even lower .
As Americans reflect on the 2020 election , many are now considering ways to reform the voting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exist ?
Should Election Day be a federal holiday ?
What can we do to stamp out voter suppression that accounts , in part , for low participation rates ?
But fewer Americans are asking a question that has already been answered by more than 20 countries around the world , including Australia , Belgium , and Brazil : What if we were required to turn up at the polls ?
A group of more than 20 election scholars and voting rights advocates have this year been urging Americans to think about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group , led by the Brookings Institution and Harvard University ’ s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation , put out a report in July making the case for what they more palatably refer to as “ universal civic duty voting.
” Their hope is that as more Americans consider ways the voting system may more accurately reflect the country ’ s makeup , compulsory voting — and all the reforms that would likely come with it — may start to look attractive .
“ Compulsory voting says that every person ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s perspective matters , and that everyone has a right to representation in a representative form of government , ” said Janai S. Nelson , the associate director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and a coauthor of the report .
Advocates for compulsory voting know they have a long way to go before it could ever become a national reality , but they ’ re hoping it could be tried out on a smaller scale first .
Now that the election is over , they ’ re speaking with local elected officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups to see who might be willing to be the country ’ s compulsory voting guinea pig .
They ’ re also planning to pen a model bill to show how it could work in practice nationwide .
“ The hope is not that the United States of America tomorrow morning is going to adopt this , ” said E.J .
Dionne , a Georgetown University professor of government , Washington Post columnist , and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution , “ but we do hope that cities , counties , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and perhaps adopt it experimentally , the way , say , Maine has adopted instant runoffs.
” Most advocates for compulsory voting tend to look to Australia , where voting has been mandatory since 1924 .
Because every Australian over 18 must participate , the voting process is made quite easy ; voter registration can be completed online , Election Day is on a Saturday , and voters can vote at whatever polling site in their state or territory they choose .
Not to mention , voting is a pretty fun community experience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Australians will purchase a celebratory sausage wrapped in bread , affectionately known as a “ democracy sausage , ” or a baked good from a nearby vendor who is usually fundraising for a local school .
Australia ’ s system ( democracy sausages included , one would hope ) may be a strong model for what compulsory voting could look like in the US , according to former Connecticut secretary of state Miles Rapoport , now a senior practice fellow at the Ash Center and another coauthor of the report .
“ No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a piece of totalitarian coercion , ” he said .
“ It is simply part of the culture.
” But Australia and the US are different countries , of course .
Many Americans have a deeply felt historic and cultural attachment to concepts of freedom and liberty that shape their view of government .
Would they ever get on board with the government forcing them to show up to the polls ?
Advocates say it becomes easier to imagine compulsory voting in the US when you consider the many things the government already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jury duty , pay taxes , and educate their children .
“ We ’ re required as a matter of civic duty to serve on juries , and the reason for that is that we want the jury pool to reflect the population as a whole , ” said Rapoport .
“ I think the exact same logic applies to voting — we should want everyone to vote so the decisions made in the voting booth genuinely reflect the population as a whole .
When you have turnouts of 50 % or 60 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting the consent of all the governed.
” Experts say perhaps the greatest benefit in making voting mandatory is how it would likely force lawmakers to remove many barriers to participation that lead to widespread voter suppression .
Such measures took many forms in the leadup to the 2020 election : More than 21,000 polling places were closed nationwide , Texas shuttered all but one mail-in ballot drop-off site per county , Georgia purged its voter rolls , and more than 5 million people were barred from voting due to a felony conviction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he could to sow fear and confusion around voting , provoking distrust in mail-in voting and urging his supporters to “ watch ” polling places — prompting some of them to show up with guns , intimidating voters .
All these actions disproportionately make voting harder for younger voters and people of color and overrepresent older Americans in the political process .
During the 2014 midterm elections , 67-year-old voters had more than six times the voting influence of 18-year-olds , Anthony Fowler , a public policy professor at the University of Chicago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ These disparities may partly explain why elected officials in the United States are , on average , older and wealthier than the populations they represent and why the policies they support often fail to reflect the preferences of their constituents , ” Fowler wrote .
Making voting mandatory would put the onus on the government to make voting as accessible as possible , said Nelson with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund .
“ I think it trains our focus on any state apparatus that impedes the ability of particular groups to vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone is compelled to turn out , you ’ d see a barrier that ’ s impeding certain groups from complying with a mandate , and others don ’ t have that same obstacle.
” Though compulsory voting has yet to become a widely discussed public issue , it did get one big vote of confidence in 2015 : when then-president Barack Obama said it would be “ transformative if everybody voted.
” `` The people who tend not to vote are young .
They 're lower income .
They 're skewed more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Obama said at a town hall event in Cleveland .
`` There 's a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls . ''
During this year ’ s election , there were huge efforts by politicians and celebrities to promote the importance of voting .
Both Trump and Biden described the election as the most important vote in US history , creating a sense of urgency around heading to the polls .
But there were other factors unique to 2020 that contributed to the huge turnout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University professor .
“ We had an enormous increase in turnout this year , ” Dionne said .
“ Now , some of that was that people on all sides of politics understood how high the stakes were in this election , but I believe another reason is that we made it easier for people to vote due to the pandemic .
The number of people who were able to cast mail ballots was exponentially larger than we ’ ve ever had.
” Advocates argue solidifying voting as a part of American culture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that help get more people into the voting booth , such as expanding absentee voting , increasing the number of polling sites , establishing automatic voter registration , and making Election Day a federal holiday .
But it could also help people become more informed voters , said Rapoport , the former Connecticut secretary of state .
“ If you ’ re a principal of a high school or a superintendent , and every 18-year-old was required to vote , would that make you more likely to do civic education as part of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Rapoport .
“ If you ’ re an employer , and every one of your employees was required to vote , would that make you likely to give them time off to participate ?
I think it would.
” This hints at one of the most common objections to compulsory voting : the rather crass assumption that nonvoters are uneducated and ill-informed on politics , and therefore are better off not voting .
Nelson of the NAACP LDF unequivocally rejected that argument , calling it “ fully disingenuous.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting who aren ’ t educated , their focus should be on education and not the right to vote , ” said Nelson .
In Australia , voter turnout has been well over 90 % since voting was made mandatory , according to the Australian Electoral Commission .
Eligible voters who do not vote are subject to a $ 20 fine , which can be waived if a “ valid and sufficient ” excuse is provided .
In some of the other countries where voting is compulsory , including Costa Rica and Greece @ @ @ @ @ @ @ however , leading to lower turnout .
US compulsory voting advocates mostly want to follow Australia ’ s lead and levy a minimal penalty at most for those who don ’ t show up to vote — a very low fee or small community service commitment , which could also be waived for legitimate excuses .
But some are instead advocating for incentives instead of penalties , such as voters being entered into a lottery .
“ Our first and foremost concern is not to burden African American voters any more than they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the present day .
So we have taken great pains to consider the idea of compulsory voting ... in ways that will not replicate the racial disparities that we fight so hard against , ” said Nelson .
“ Knowing about the overcriminalization of communities of color , will this provide another penalty or another area of prosecution that will be placed upon these communities ?
That is something we are against and have thought about very carefully.
” Opponents of compulsory voting in the US argue requiring it would constitute compelled speech @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But advocates contend that no one would , in fact , be forced to place a vote .
They would simply be required to turn up at their polling place on Election Day .
This measure would also allow people who do not vote for religious reasons , such as Jehovah ’ s Witnesses , to comply with their faith .
“ People use the term compulsory voting because it ’ s a simple term , but under these systems , no one is actually obligated to vote for anyone , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ You can cast a blank ballot .
You can draw Mickey Mouse on your ballot .
You do whatever you choose to do.
” Experts also believe that compulsory voting would improve the quality of campaigns , so that candidates and parties could focus entirely on spreading the word about what policies they stand for — not just galvanizing their base to show up to the polls in the first place .
“ Campaigns now , as you saw in 2020 , are frantic races for one party or one candidate to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in the worst-case scenario , to depress the turnout of the other team , ” said Rapoport .
“ If everyone is required to vote , then everyone is listening .
Campaigns will not need to spend anywhere near the amount of time or money turning out the vote , but they will have to spend time and money convincing everybody that the ideas on which they ’ re running are the better ideas.
” Some assume compulsory voting would disproportionately benefit the left by getting younger , low-income , and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But Jason Brennan , a public policy professor at Georgetown , said research does not indicate that making voting mandatory would significantly change the results of any given election , the way abolishing the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote would in all likelihood give Democrats an advantage .
“ Surprisingly , nonvoters are fairly evenly split in their behavior , so it might not really help one party over the other that much , ” Brennan said .
Brennan is not in favor of compulsory voting , as he does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits if implemented .
“ People promise all sorts of benefits from compulsory voting — they say it will bring the country together , it will increase moderation and decrease polarization , usually they say it ’ ll help their party win more seats , ” Brennan said .
“ I think if we have strong evidence that it did some of that , I think it would be worth talking about whether we should talk about it , but the evidence isn ’ t really there.
” But , for Rapoport , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the goal of compulsory voting is not to impact who wins — it ’ s to ensure the most possible people can have their voices heard .
“ The point is not to change outcomes .
To the contrary , we ’ re not proposing this because we think it will help one party or another , ” he said .
“ I think the point is in the democratic impulse itself — that this will encourage the fullest participation , and whether that changes the outcome or not is not central @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we did see in 2020 is that higher turnout does not necessarily favor one party , ” Dionne said .
“ More Democratic voters came out , and more Republican voters came out , and we think that ’ s a good thing .
”

The 2020 election (finally) ended this month, with voters handing Joe Biden the presidency and breaking a huge record in the process: the highest turnout in a US election since 1908.
Over 22 million more Americans voted in 2020 than in 2016, following massive get-out-the-vote campaigns by both sides, expanded early and absentee voting due to the coronavirus pandemic, a nonstop news cycle, and a year that served as a political awakening for many voters.
That historic turnout? Still just about two-thirds of eligible voters.
Voter turnout has never been America’s strong suit. The US, which talks a big game about the democratic process, typically manages to have just over half of its eligible voters participating in presidential elections. In midterm elections and local races, turnout tends to be even lower.
As Americans reflect on the 2020 election, many are now considering ways to reform the voting process: Should the Electoral College still exist? Should Election Day be a federal holiday? What can we do to stamp out voter suppression that accounts, in part, for low participation rates?
But fewer Americans are asking a question that has already been answered by more than 20 countries around the world, including Australia, Belgium, and Brazil: What if we were required to turn up at the polls?
A group of more than 20 election scholars and voting rights advocates have this year been urging Americans to think about the benefits of adopting compulsory voting. The group, led by the Brookings Institution and Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, put out a report in July making the case for what they more palatably refer to as “universal civic duty voting.” Their hope is that as more Americans consider ways the voting system may more accurately reflect the country’s makeup, compulsory voting — and all the reforms that would likely come with it — may start to look attractive.
“Compulsory voting says that every person’s vote matters, every person’s perspective matters, and that everyone has a right to representation in a representative form of government,” said Janai S. Nelson, the associate director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and a coauthor of the report.
Advocates for compulsory voting know they have a long way to go before it could ever become a national reality, but they’re hoping it could be tried out on a smaller scale first. Now that the election is over, they’re speaking with local elected officials, state legislatures, and civil rights groups to see who might be willing to be the country’s compulsory voting guinea pig. They’re also planning to pen a model bill to show how it could work in practice nationwide.
“The hope is not that the United States of America tomorrow morning is going to adopt this,” said E.J. Dionne, a Georgetown University professor of government, Washington Post columnist, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, “but we do hope that cities, counties, states would take a look at this and perhaps adopt it experimentally, the way, say, Maine has adopted instant runoffs.”