Before any votes were officially counted, the corrupt incumbent president declared himself the landslide winner based on his own government’s exit polls, even as recounts at several polling stations showed the exact opposite result. As the sun set, furious residents poured into the streets of the capital and dozens of other cities, only to be met by armed troops firing tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets.
This time, a nation’s descent into political madness took place 4,500 miles away in Belarus, where 24-year dictatorial president Alexander Lukashenko is clinging to power in the former Soviet republic. But the violent images out of strife-riven Minsk are sparking anxiety among the millions of Americans who fear that our own unpopular autocrat will play similar dangerous games in the hours following the Nov. 3 U.S. general election.
It’s a totally legitimate worry. Throughout American history, our unique federal system — with elections managed by state and local officials from both major parties — has shielded us from what once felt like a remote scenario of a wannabe tyrant stealing control of the process. But you might have noticed that 2020 is not your typical year.
The one-of-a-kind challenge of holding an election amid a global pandemic led state and local officials from coast to coast to embrace what seemed — at first — like the safest and most practical solution: To make it easier for citizens to vote by mail, and to encourage folks to do so. After all, five states have been voting by mail for years now without major problems. The linchpin was Americans’ deep trust in a centuries-old institution: The United States Postal Service.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...113-by-mail-will-bunch-newsletter/ar-BB17PYip
This time, a nation’s descent into political madness took place 4,500 miles away in Belarus, where 24-year dictatorial president Alexander Lukashenko is clinging to power in the former Soviet republic. But the violent images out of strife-riven Minsk are sparking anxiety among the millions of Americans who fear that our own unpopular autocrat will play similar dangerous games in the hours following the Nov. 3 U.S. general election.
It’s a totally legitimate worry. Throughout American history, our unique federal system — with elections managed by state and local officials from both major parties — has shielded us from what once felt like a remote scenario of a wannabe tyrant stealing control of the process. But you might have noticed that 2020 is not your typical year.
The one-of-a-kind challenge of holding an election amid a global pandemic led state and local officials from coast to coast to embrace what seemed — at first — like the safest and most practical solution: To make it easier for citizens to vote by mail, and to encourage folks to do so. After all, five states have been voting by mail for years now without major problems. The linchpin was Americans’ deep trust in a centuries-old institution: The United States Postal Service.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...113-by-mail-will-bunch-newsletter/ar-BB17PYip