IU experts discussed issues including voter turnout, key contentious states, implications of local races and the divisiveness of this election from 8:45 to 9:15 p.m. Tuesday in a Zoom news briefing hosted by IU spokesperson Chuck Carney.
Voter turnout and suppression
Jakobi Williams, Ruth N. Halls associate professor of African American and African diaspora studies and professor of history at IU-Bloomington, said the Republican party’s historical practices of voter suppression remain “alive and well” in the 2020 general election.
Williams said historically some Republican-controlled counties have placed ballot boxes strategically in favor of Republican candidates, forcing Democratic voters to wait in lines so long many don’t make it to the poll station before polls close. He raised the examples of Republican practices of voter suppression in Florida in the 2000 election and in Ohio in 2004.
He said voter suppression doesn’t seem to have a tangible effect this Election Day, but at this time it is too soon to tell.
Despite challenges, Steven Webster, assistant professor of political science at IU-Bloomington, said the level of turnout in this general election is historic.
“People are angry and people are turning out to make their voices heard,” he said.
Elizabeth Bennion, professor of political science at IU-South Bend, said people need to be patient in this election and wait for votes to be counted.
“We want to tell students to be patient about the results,” she said. “If you are in a state where votes are not counted until Election Day, it doesn’t mean that there’s someone taking votes away, that there’s voter fraud.”
Key contentious states
Although President Donald Trump is projected to win Florida, supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden shouldn’t worry too much, Webster said. The Associated Press called Florida for Trump at 12:35 a.m. Wednesday. He said even having lost Florida, Biden would still be in a good position to win the presidency if he keeps all the states that voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and flips key Midwestern states including Michigan and Wisconsin.
He said flipping any of the Sun Belt states would be “cherry on the top” for the Biden campaign.
Speaking about the races in Texas and Georgia, both won by Trump in 2016, Webster said the growing Democratic votes come from the rapidly growing Hispanic population.
Williams said, however, he is more optimistic about Democratic candidates flipping seats in local races than Biden. He said the Democratic Party’s efforts to inject money and resources in both Texas and Georgia has gradually worked in their favor.
“Local races are a referendum on Trump’s policies for these past four years,” he said. “Local voters can’t control the electoral college.”
Implications of local races
Webster said local races are crucial in this election with redistricting following the 2020 Census.
Democratic victories in local races will bring key election reforms to address issues such as the Electoral College, gerrymandering and the politicization of the Supreme Court, Bennion said. She said the Electoral College and gerrymandering have made the electoral process no longer representative of the United States.
Divisiveness of this election
While the U.S. might know who its president is for the next four years in a few days, the partisan divisions won’t go away easily, Webster said. He said there has to be systematic transformations to reduce the tensions in this country.
“The fact that people can call which party a state is going to go to even before the votes are counted is revealing enough,” he said.
Webster said this election itself might face uncertainties ahead as well, as votes will likely be contended in court by both parties depending on the voting results.
