We are less than a hundred days to the presidential election. It is exciting to be in the midst of crisis and have another one bearing down fast. Here in my home state, absentee voters can cast their ballots up to 45 days in advance, so the time for hard thinking is upon us. Hahaha. Just kidding. The choice is pretty stark. I am often appalled at some of the things the current President says, or the actions he takes.

But as I have said before, I vote for the lesser threat to the Republic I served, and that is the incumbent. The alternative is a man who claims to be transitional, as if to say that the chronic illness he displays with regularity will be remedied by someone we don’t know.

All part of the usual hysteria of Presidential politics. I remember a time when the results were posted at the end of the same day they were cast. This year, although the number of deaths from the pandemic plague continue to drop, the big play is on.

As you know, there have been mutterings for some time that the President would not leave office regardless of the results of the election. I thought that was wildly improbable. Elections were held as scheduled during events as unusual as actual civil war, massive depression and global conflict. The slight problem with this one is that a public health emergency seems to provide a means to confine voters to their homes and force the use of mail-in ballots on a scale never before attempted, and one that invalidates the efforts by several states to require photo identification by people voting, and turn ballot collection over to unidentified agents.

Postponement was mentioned this morning by the current President. It was stated as a question, but since the very mention of the possibility of election delay agreed with previous narratives of impending action on voting kicked off passions that will carry us through the scheduled day for voting.

Here is the bad news. Standing fast to the calendar while locking down the voters will force utilization of a new means of tabulating the vote. Results will not be available until all votes are counted. That is potentially weeks in progress, and could stretch beyond the traditional inauguration day. Add in legal challenges to whatever the piles of paper seem to say, we could be months before the matter is resolved.

I remember the hanging chads carnival in Florida, with the results winding up before the Supreme Court. I would prefer to avoid that, but given the intensity of the emotion abroad in the land these days, we are going to wind up there regardless of whatever happens to what was traditional. That much is clear. Should the President decide to delay the election pending the resolution of other public emergencies already in progress, he will be accused of staging his own coup.

I don’t have a handy solution, though I am sure dozens will be shouted out. I am going to take my photo ID and go vote at the registrar here at the County Seat as soon as legally possible. I will be happy to don a mask and maintain my social distance in order to do so. Then I am going to fix some popcorn- probably a lot of popcorn- and see what happens to our Republic.

How ‘bout you?

Copyright 2020 Vic Socotra
http://www.vicsocotra.com