Preparing for the Worst

President Trump's repeated questioning of the election process, including a suggestion that the election be delayed and even a refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power have led some observers to expect the worst.  The Intelligence Community wars that "the period immediately before and after the election could be uniquely volatile."  Among the scenarios posited are that Trump might make an early claim of victory before many votes are tallied, that a swarm of state litigation challenging the results could throw election to the U.S. Supreme Court, and that Trump could simply refuse to concede.

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Excerpt from Sept. 23, 2020 Press Briefing
Q    Mr. President, real quickly: Win, lose, or draw in this election, will you commit here, today, for a peaceful transferal of power after the election?  And there has been rioting in Louisville.  There’s been rioting in many cities across this country — red and — your so-called red and blue states.   Will you commit to making sure that there is a peaceful transferal of power after the election?
THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’re going to have to see what happens.  You know that.  I’ve been complaining very strongly about the ballots.  And the ballots are a disaster.  And — and —
Q    I understand that, but people are rioting.  Do you commit to making sure that —
THE PRESIDENT:  Oh, I know.  I know.  Yeah, no, we want —
Q    — there’s a peaceful transferal of power?
THE PRESIDENT:  We want to have — get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very trans- — we’ll have a very peaceful — there won’t be a transfer, frankly; there’ll be a continuation.
The ballots are out of control.  You know it.  And you know who knows it better than —
Q    No, sir.  I don’t know that.
THE PRESIDENT:  — anybody else?  The Democrats know it better than anybody else.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
Thurs., Sept. 24, 2020

 CONTACT:    
Rachel Cohen (Warner)

STATEMENT OF SENATE INTEL VICE CHAIR SEN. MARK R. WARNER

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the below statement:

 

“Our nation has a 200-year history of successful elections, followed by a peaceful transfer of power. Yesterday, the Senate Intelligence Committee received a briefing on election security from our nation’s top officials. We all know that the election process will look different this year, in light of COVID-19, and we may not know the results on election night. The Intelligence Community (IC) warned that, as a result, the period immediately before and after the election could be uniquely volatile. But we should continue to have faith in the state and local officials who are responsible for the conduct of our elections and the IC and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) officials who help to protect them, and make sure that all the votes are counted. 

 

“The President of the United States should not be aiding and abetting foreign adversaries who are working  to sow doubts about the legitimacy of the American election system.”

 

In February 2020, the Senate Intelligence Committee released the third volume in the Committee’s bipartisan investigation into Russian election interference, “U.S. Government Response to Russian Activities,” which was approved on a bipartisan basis by the Republican-led Committee. That report included a series of recommendations for improving the security of our elections in the future, including:

 

(U) Sitting officials and candidates should use the absolute greatest amount of restraint and caution if they are considering publicly calling the validity of an upcoming election into question. Such a grave allegation can have significant national security and electoral consequences, including limiting the response options of the appropriate authorities, and exacerbating the already damaging messaging efforts of foreign intelligence services. (Page 45)

 

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See also:
Barton Gellman.  "The Election That Could Break America."  The Atlantic, Sept. 23, 2020 (Nov. 2020 issue)

Sasha Abramsky.  "Is Trump Planning a Coup d'État?"  The Nation, Sept. 21, 2020

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The National Task Force on Election Crises is a diverse, cross-partisan group of more than 50 experts in election law, election administration, national security, cybersecurity, voting rights, civil rights, technology, media, public health, and emergency response. The Task Force’s core mission is to ensure a free and fair 2020 presidential election by recommending responses to a range of election crises. Our focus is ensuring that the election runs smoothly during challenging circumstances, that disputes are handled in a way that maximizes confidence in the outcome, and that there is a peaceful transition or continuation of power on January 20, 2021. The only electoral outcome the Task Force advocates is that the election is free and fair.

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Indivisible
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, September 1, 2020

“Protect the Results” Expands To 80 Groups As Coalition Prepares To Mobilize Should Trump Contest Election

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Indivisible and Stand Up America are announcing that more than 80 advocacy groups and grassroots organizations have joined Protect the Results, a coalition building a system to mobilize millions of Americans should Donald Trump contest the election results, refuse to concede after losing, or claim victory before all the votes are counted.

The new partners join Indivisible and Stand Up America in educating the public about the threat Trump poses to the peaceful transition of power and preparing to mobilize millions of their members to take action. The new partners (denoted by *) join a broad coalition of the largest grassroots networks in the country, progressive and conservative advocacy organizations, good government groups, and labor unions that includes:

350 Action*
Advance Native Political Leadership Action Fund*
Center for Popular Democracy Action*
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Color Of Change PAC*
Common Cause*
Communications Workers of America
Community Change Action
Demand Justice
Demos Action*
End Citizens United Action Fund / Let America Vote
Friends of the Earth Action*
Guns Down America*
March for Truth
Momentum*
Mormon Women for Ethical Government*
MoveOn
NextGen America
People For the American Way*
People's Action*
Poder Latinx*
Progressive Change Campaign Committee*
Protect Our Election*
Public Citizen
Pulso*
Republicans for the Rule of Law
Seed the Vote*
SEIU*
Showing Up for Racial Justice Action*
Sierra Club*
Southern Coalition for Social Justice*
Stand Up Republic
Sunrise Movement*
Supermajority
United We Dream Action
UltraViolet Action*
Win Black / Pa'lante*
Women's March
Women for American Values and Ethics (WAVE)*
Workers Defense Action Fund*
Working Families Party*

"Black communities are all too familiar with Trump's abuses of power, which have included various voter suppression and intimidation tactics over the years. However, a decision to not accept the results of this election would be dire, further devastating our communities, extending the tenure of the most destructive administration in modern history and completely dismembering what remains of our democracy,” said Arisha Michelle Hatch, Executive Director of Color Of Change PAC. “Our resistance is key in protecting the outcome of this election. That is why Color Of Change PAC is proud to join forces with Protect the Results, to defend the future of this nation. We will mobilize to safeguard Black people from the chaos and pain that will inevitably ensue should Trump choose to disregard reality in November."

"Working people's voice is their power, and making sure their votes are counted and respected is core to our democracy," said SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry. "When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are elected it will be because people looked at the last four years of divisiveness, including unconscionable attempts to divide us based on race, and soundly rejected that rhetoric. Their message must be respected."

“With tens of millions of Americans casting their ballot by mail this year, it will take time to ensure that every vote in every state is counted. But, instead of pledging to protect the sanctity of our electoral process in the midst of a pandemic, President Trump is ratcheting up signals that he may not willingly cede power and is increasingly threatening to suppress and intimidate voters, especially in Black and Brown communities. This can’t go unchecked,” said K. Sabeel Rahman, President of Demos Action. “If Trump continues to apply tactics aimed at intimidating voters and disrupting our election, we will need massive grassroots resistance to protect our democracy. In the face of a consequential and crucial general election it will take all of us to ensure that our democracy isn’t hijacked.”

“If there’s one thing the Republican convention taught us, it’s that Donald Trump is prepared to do and say anything if he thinks it will prevent him from losing the election,” said Ben Jealous, President of People For the American Way. “We know that voter suppression and disinformation campaigns are already under way and that Black communities are among their top targets. So we are going to fight to protect the integrity of this election and we’ll keep on fighting until every vote is counted, even if it means we don’t have a clear winner on November 3. We will not let Donald Trump subvert the will of the American people this fall.”

"The only guardrail keeping Trump from driving our democracy over the cliff into an ocean of fascism is we the people on Election Day," said Nelini Stamp, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at the Working Families Party. "The Working Families Party is proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with allies to protect our right to vote. If Trump wants to ignore the will of the people and fight over election results, it’s a fight he’ll get."

Last month, Trump refused to say whether he would accept the results of the 2020 election during an interview on FOX News. Just last week, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany doubled down, saying that "the president has always said he'll see what happens and make a determination in the aftermath.” These comments follow a deeply troubling pattern of Trump undermining the election, from making false claims that mail-in voting leads to rampant voter fraud to disturbing comments about staying in office past 2024.


PRESS CONTACTS:

Emily Phelps, Indivisible
press@indivisible.org


Ryan Thomas, Stand Up America
ryan@standupamerica.com

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Indivisible
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2020
Contacts:
Emily Phelps | press@indivisible.org
Ryan Thomas | ryan@standupamerica.com

Coalition Expands After Trump Refused to Say Sunday Whether He’d Accept The Results

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Indivisible and Stand Up America are announcing that more than 30 advocacy groups and grassroots organizations have joined Protect the Results, a new project creating the infrastructure needed to mobilize millions of Americans should Donald Trump contest the election results, refuse to concede after losing, or claim victory before all the votes are counted.

The 30 new partners will join Indivisible and Stand Up America in preparing to mobilize their members, engage experts and academics to educate the public about the threat Trump poses to the peaceful transition of power, and build a network of millions of Americans ready to take action. The groups joining the coalition will launch national digital ads to encourage Americans to join the network and reach out directly to millions of community members via text, email, and social media.

The new partners joining the project include several of the largest grassroots organizations in the country, progressive and conservative advocacy groups, and a labor union:

51 for 51

Communications Workers of America

Community Change Action

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)

Daily Kos

Defend Democracy

DemCastUSA

Demand Justice

Democracy 21

Democracy for All 2021

End Citizens United Action Fund / Let America Vote

Faith in Public Life Action Fund

Free Speech For People

Health Care Voter

March For Truth

MoveOn

National LGBTQ Task Force

National Partnership for Women and Families

NextGen America

Public Citizen

Republicans for the Rule of Law

Stand Up Republic

Supermajority

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

United We Dream Action

Women’s March

Working Families Party

“If there’s anything we’ve learned in the Trump era, it’s that we have to be prepared for all possibilities,” said Shane Larson, Communications Workers of America Senior Director for Government Affairs and Policy. “If Trump in his escalating efforts to turn this country’s democracy into a one man show refuses to leave office, we are ready to mobilize our members and take to the streets to protect the integrity of our elections.”

"Community Change Action is building a powerhouse of low-income voters, voters of color, immigrant voters and women voters in our largest and most impactful electoral program to date. Part of building this electoral powerhouse in 2020 is our commitment to fight for accessible, fair and safe elections—including protecting the integrity of the results,” said Community Change Action. “We believe that movements led by impacted people, like the Black Lives Matter movement, the immigrant rights movement, the labor movement, and more, are the foundation of a healthy democracy and we will work to ensure those voices are heard in the streets and at the ballot box."

“Progressives need to be prepared to fight back against any attempt to undermine the legitimacy of our democracy, including a Bush v. Gore 2.0 scenario,” said Chris Kang, Chief Counsel and Co-Founder of Demand Justice. “Supreme Court decisions this year restricting voting rights in Wisconsin, Alabama, and Florida have already made clear that Republicans will stop at nothing to cling to power. As the five Republican-appointed justices have shown they are all too willing to subvert democracy if it helps Republicans hold onto power, we must be ready to protect the integrity of this election.”

"We take Donald Trump at his word that he's a sore loser," said David Sievers, Campaign Director at MoveOn. "But democracy does not have a special carve-out that sore losers get to stay in office as long as they like. We're prepared to take action to defend the results."

“Trump has spent the last four years decimating democratic norms and rule of law,” said Aquene Freechild, Campaign Co-Director for Public Citizen’s Democracy Is For People Campaign. “He’s already said that he’d question election results if he loses in November. We can’t be surprised. Every American who loves freedom and democracy must be prepared.”

“Over the last four years, Trump has done everything he can to try to erase our voices and instill fear in our communities. But we're here to stay and to win in November. For immigrants and people of color, this election is the fight of our lives. The immigrant youth movement has helped turn public opinion and the electorate against Trump. We will organize and mobilize a massive number of voters. With allies across the country, we're going to vote Trump out of office in November,” said Cristina Jimenez, Executive Director and Co-founder of United We Dream Action. “Together, we will ensure that every vote is counted and that we protect our democracy.”

The announcement comes after Trump once again refused to say whether he would accept the results of the 2020 election: “I have to see. I'm not just going to say yes. I'm not going to say no.” These latest comments follow a pattern of Trump undermining the election, from making false claims that mail-in voting leads to rampant voter fraud to disturbing comments about staying in office past 2024.