Delaying the Election would be Immensely Dangerous and Historically Unprecedented

 
Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls / Public domain

Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls / Public domain

By: Logan Phillips
Date: 7/30

Earlier today, President Trump fired off a tweet suggesting that we should delay the election. Let us be crystal clear – the President does not have the legal authority to do this – that power rest with Congress and Congress alone, and it has never been used at any point in American history. A quick survey of even recent world history shows that when Presidents do this, it is rarely in the interest of their nation, and it is often the first in a series of cascading actions that lead to catastrophic consequences for their democracy.

The exceptions where such actions are justified are rare, like for fragile democracies coming out of bloody civil wars where a new election will almost certainly lead to new rounds of mass-ethnic conflict that could kill tens of thousands; Clearly, America faces no such an environment.

Time and time again, through the worst and most difficult moments in our history, we have always held elections on the exactly the date that they were scheduled. It is without question one of the reasons why the United States has been the longest running Democracy in human history – and an essential reason for our historic position as the leader of the free world.

It may not feel like it today, but this pandemic is hardly the greatest challenge this country has faced. Consider the moments where elections were held under the most duress. In 1864, the United States was consumed by a Civil War that would go on to kill 750,000 Americans in a nation 1/10 of our current population.

Abraham Lincoln believed he was likely heading to defeat, and faced an opponent whose very party platform called for peace at all cost, even if it meant the permanent split of the union. While some of his advisors encouraged Lincoln to delay the election until his political and military hand was stronger, he refused to even consider such a grave course of action. Speaking about that election, Lincoln said

“It has long been a grave question whether any government, not too strong for the liberties of its people, can be strong enough to maintain its own existence in great emergencies. We cannot have free government without elections; and if the rebellion could force us to forego, or postpone a national election it might fairly claim to have already conquered and ruined us.” - Abraham Lincoln, 1864, In Response to a Serenade

His successors were no different. Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt never tried to delay an election even during the Great Depression or World War 2. Woodrow Wilson did not delay try to delay the election during World War 1, and not even during the 1918 Pandemic. Likewise, we must not take such an extreme and dangerous action today.

Fortunately, Republican leaders are not playing along. Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated clearly and unequivocally that America has never delayed elections before, and they will continue to hold an election as scheduled in 2020 and the years to come.

In his tweet, President Trump cited as justification that absentee ballots are somehow fraudulent or unfair. This is a completely inaccurate and not based in truth. Voting by mail is so safe and secure that even President Trump and Vice President Pence have done it themselves - multiple times. In fact, research indicates that it doesn’t give either Democrats or Republicans an edge in elections, but simply enables more Americans to vote.

It is pretty clear what is really going on here. President Trump faces a significant deficit in the polls, and was spooked by news that America had lost 9.5% of its GDP last quarter - news that was announced right before he tweeted. Clearly, he is deeply concerned about his re-election prospects. This is no excuse to prevent the Democratic process from playing out – not even close. Every President wants to be re-elected, but the choice at the end of the day has been, and must always be, in the hands of the American people.

 
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