When is time to acknowledge defeat in the Presidential election? Should Trump tell the world he has lost and Biden has won?
Let us start with some facts. The first is that a deadline of December 14th is in place for “the states are to count and certify popular vote results according to their respective statutory and procedural requirements.” Next is “The “Safe Harbor” Deadline The U.S. Code(3 U.S.C. §5)provides that if election results are contested in any state, and if the state, prior to election day,has enacted procedures to settle controversies or contests over electors and electoral votes, and if these procedures have been applied, and the results have been determined six days before the electors’ meetings, then these results are considered to be conclusive, and will apply in the counting of the electoral votes.”
On December 14th the Electoral college will meet and the “Electors Vote in Their States Monday after the second Wednesday in December of presidential election years is set (3 U.S.C. §7) as the date on which the electors meet and vote.” Only at this point is the election officially declared. What the press has been saying is their own count and has no binding power on the Electoral college at all.
So for now everything is unofficial and President Trump does have the option of disputing election results. Biden knows this and is just pushing for the transition to start as early as possible. Remember that this is the first time that mail-in voting has been done nation wide in a very large way. Covid-19 has a lot to due with the delay in counting votes and we will know the official results as soon as every vote is counted.
I hope this makes things a little less muddy. What is happening right now is the press making official sounding statements, which they have no right to do and Biden possibly jumping the gun (which at this point I really don’t think he is doing).
So everyone should calm down and wait for the official results. Which hopefully will come out very soon.
In the mean time let us as a nation not further stir the pot and make things worse.
That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike
