Who decides when an election is over?

Pricey reader:

 

 When the presidential trot turned into “known as” closing Saturday for frail Vice President Joe Biden, I turned into sitting with just a few different reporters in an Italian restaurant terminate to the Trump National Golf Club in northern Virginia. We, the White Rental “press pool,” weren’t invited to accompany President Donald Trump into his membership. But when it came time to depart away, we purchased to appear at what he noticed from within the motorcade – crowds of Biden and Trump supporters, conserving signs, waving flags, making noise.

 

 Scenes fancy this performed out around the nation, all in conserving with the bulletins of files media “decision desks” that call elections. But President Trump has now now not conceded the trot, nor has his administration “ascertained” that Mr. Biden is the “apparent a hit candidate.” Such a staunch designation has existed since 1963 to relief with an neat transition, as I wrote Tuesday.

 

 Right here’s the direct: The election, technically, isn’t over – as many readers beget identified. Votes are mute being counted, courtroom challenges are in development, most states beget yet to certify outcomes, and the Electoral College hasn’t met. That occurs Dec. 14.

 

 Mr. Trump has the upright now now not to concede the election. But he isn’t comely sitting idly by, looking ahead to closing outcomes. He’s actively promoting, by means of social media, the premise that the election turned into stolen. Twitter labels his tweets “disputed,” but his message is mute breaking by. A Politico/Morning Search the advice of polltaken Nov. 6-9 stumbled on that 70% of Republicans don’t imagine the election turned into “free and comely.” To many Americans, the president’s habits poses a chance to democracy.

 

 The direct for the mainstream media, time and yet again dubbed “faux files,” is profound. This year, media outlets beget long past out of their scheme to screen how they teach election winners, as with this Associated Press article. The these who work at decision desks are green-eyeshade files scientists dedicated to getting it upright, now now not partisans projecting a desired .

 

 At the second, sooner than the 2020 election fully resolves, here’s some advice from my extinct friend Bob Carolla, a frail aide to retired Democratic Sen. George Mitchell of Maine.

 

 “If I learned something else from George Mitchell as a attorney and legislator,” it’s this, Mr. Carolla writes in an email. “If a person is being cheap, be cheap and flexible. If they are unreasonable but within their rights, be affected person but agency and defend advancing frequently.”

 

 He concludes: We are passing by a “Vital American Civics Lesson.”

 

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