Count Every Vote

 Weekly column written for the Singapore Unbound newsletter. Sign up here.

Here's an article that explains why it's more accurate to call the American presidential election Election Week, instead of Election Day. In brief, different states have different rules, and some states, such as swing states Georgia and Pennsylvania, do not allow the counting of in-person early voting ballots or absentee ballots until Election Day, and other states, such as North Carolina and Ohio, accept absentee ballots postmarked Election Day or the day before.

Trump's announcement of an attempt to stop the counting after Election Day is a blatant effort to deprive Americans of their vote. Any fair-minded person will want every vote counted, as long as the ballot followed the rules of the state in which it was cast. This delay in proclaiming a winner may prolong the tension, both psychological and social, but this wait, not a real delay, is necessary to ensure that every valid vote is counted.

Right now, Biden appears to be heading for victory. If Trump should challenge in court the validity of valid votes, fair-minded Americans will have to be ready to take peacefully to the streets to remind the courts that they are the servants of the people.

Jee Leong Koh
November 5, 2020

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