Daily Resource Highlight - 11/14/2022

Posted by on November 14, 2022 at 3:43 PM

Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.

November 7, 2022 - Election Day is Finally Here – Be Mentally Prepared (in a good way?)

The midterm elections are finally here. By tomorrow night we should have a general sense of how the balance of power has shifted (or not shifted) in Congress and around the country, and shortly after that organizations like Civic Genius will be meeting about Post-Election Action Plans (this Thursday @ 7 PM ET).

I don’t know what will happen on Tuesday (for that, look to experts like Chaz, who Ballotpedia interviewed about state elections). One prediction I feel very confident in making, though, is that some of the election results will be contested. 

For that reason, I’m excited to tell you about Election Reformers Network’s Guide on Close and Contested Elections. This guide gives an overview of how states ensure accurate election results; the role of audits; and how election disputes are handled. For me, this guide gives me peace of mind knowing that there are guardrails in place to ensure America’s democratic systems survive another contentious election cycle.

I’m also pleasantly surprised by the results of a new poll conducted by Issue One, RepresentUs, and Unite America, which found that an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of voters in key battleground states “are confident in their state’s elections.” In other words, the vocal minority in America who think our elections are a farce are just that – a minority. That’s important to remember during these turbulent times; most Americans still have basic faith in our democratic systems, even if they have disagreements about the details.

Tomorrow’s elections will also provide a lot of valuable information about what’s to come, regardless of who wins. For instance, we will get more data on the impact of Ranked Choice Voting in states like Alaska and Maine, and we will find out where RCV may be tried next (Nevada may be the next to adopt it state-wide).

Do I have my preferences on who I want to win different elections? Sure, we all do. But my bigger, overriding concern is in keeping our republic (tip of the hat to Mr. Franklin).

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