WHAT DO WE DO IF TRUMP TRIES TO STEAL THE ELECTION?

While Democrats must focus all of our remaining energy on getting out the vote, it’s important to start preparing in the event that Trump claims victory before all votes are counted.

Trump has already widely circulated the false narrative that the election will be fraudulent to the point where it has become part of the national conversation, and his base believes it. Barring a Biden landslide (a much preferred peaceful and orderly option), we need to be ready for the President to try to hold on to power not just through continued viral disinformation but also by wielding the power of his government – and, some would argue, of his courts – to disrupt and prematurely halt ballot counting at the state and local levels.

With these sobering truths in mind, we must stand united with our messaging and our actions if Trump tries to undermine the will of voters. Here are three things you can do to help prevent Trump from stealing the election:

We need to all be prepared with this simple plan

1. Remind everyone now that election night is likely the beginning, not the end. November 3 is “election day” not “announce the results of the election day.” There actually isn’t a single state that certifies its results on Election Day. And this year we have an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots. Every vote must be counted. That takes time.

1. Rally around the key message that every vote must be counted. It will take time to process all of the ballots. About half of states allow absentee ballots to be received and counted after Election Day as long as they are postmarked by November 3^rd. And in some states, ballots cannot even be counted until Election Day. There will be a lot of pressure to declare an outcome prematurely, but together we must refuse to accept the results until every vote is counted.
   1. Finally, be prepared to resist. lIn the case of an un-democratic power grab, in the worst-case scenario, we should all be prepared to march, in huge numbers, until democracy prevails. Protect the Results and Choose Democracy are two organizations that are already preparing to mobilize protestors as early as November 4^th. Stopping what is essentially a coup could be dependent on the size and scope of the resistance.