my terrified worry for next week...

[Javaman]

in light of kavanaugh's latest bullshit opinion, i fear, the orange asshole will be ahead at first (mail in ballots won't all be counted yet), in steps the supreme assholes to declare the orange murderer the winner aka use bush* vs Gore as their precedent.

this is the shit that keeps me up at night.

talk me down from the tower, please!

on edit:

Thanks all for your responses. that helps.

but here's an ironic thought. the orange asshole has screamed that all votes must be counted on election day, anything after would be "illegal" to him.

but if Biden is way ahead from the start, I be you that the orange murderer suddenly wants everything counted no matter how long it takes.

[vercetti2021]

1. Doubtful

States control their voting. Biden wins by a landslide. No way to contest it.

[matt819]

7. I tend to agree

SCOTUS cannot undo an election. Trump would have to bring 51 lawsuits to contest the election in every state and DC. Maybe that’s the plan, but I’ve read that there are hundreds of Democratic election lawyers ready to fight any such action. Anywhere. Right away.

True, he might end up focusing, as was the case with bush, in one location, or maybe a few. That means those hundreds of dem lawyers will have more resources.

There was a post of a Twitter thread here earlier today on the vote counting process. As I read it, the gist was that fucking with the election will not work. I would add that 2020 is not 2000.

[regnaD kciN]

20. He wouldn't have to bring "51 lawsuits"...

Just a handful in swing states. He might only need to bring one, to challenge the results in PA.

[matt819]

23. I know.

I was being hyperbolic.

But I’ve seen reports that the Democrats are ready for anything.

As for Trump’s scorched earth policy, I’m reasonably confident that the Biden administration can undo most of it, including the new loyalty tests for the civil service.

As for the courts, forget commissions and exploring options. If we have majorities in Congress expand the Supreme Court to 13 and name a new Chief Justice. I’m thinking of a gut whose last name begins with Obama. And then name justices to the federal court in large numbers. Right away.

And on and on.

[Arkansas Granny]

2. I hear you. I've got that gut wrenching feeling in the pit of my stomach even now.

[Bettie]

25. 2016 PTSD

A lot of us have it.

Hopefully, we'll feel better on the 4th.

[Hoyt]

3. Agree with "Doubtful."

[napi21]

4. I think the Dems will lead on 11/3. All channels are reporting the LONG LINES in early voting are

primarily Dems. I don't disregard MIBs but I believe they will simply add to te Dem lead.

[regnaD kciN]

19. They'll lead in the POPULAR vote...

...however, it’s quite possible Trump will be leading in enough states to give him 270 EV.

[napi21]

24. Maybe but it's looking good fpr Joe to hold the blue wall of Mi & Wi, so the teller will be a call

of Pa. or Fl. Either one will guarantee Joe a win.

[Blue_true]

28. Florida counts mail in ballots as soon as they arrive back and are accepted.

That is why ANYONE in Florida who has not sent back a democratic voting ballot should simply not fill the ballot out and send the ballot back via mail, but instead take it to in person voting and surrender it for an in person ballot on the spot. Early voting in is all this week and ends either on Friday or Saturday (depending on the county).

[Ms. Toad]

5. Most absentee/mail-in ballots are counted FIRST, not LAST.

So, based on who seems to be voting early, Biden should have an early lead that will dwindle as the in-person voting trickles in. Bush v. Gore wasn't even filed for more than a month after the election. So the Supreme Court is not going to hop in on the basis of who is ahead on election day.

[kansasobama]

10. Not always

It depends on each state. Some states count mail-in after Election Day. There is one thing that can upset Trump's plans. Florida. Unfortunately our Democrats in Miami-Dade are not helping. No wonder Obama is working his a.. off in Orlando today. He knows he has to make it up elsewhere. Jacksonville is better but does not have the margin of Miami-Dade.

[Ms. Toad]

11. That is why I said "Most."

There are some outliers - but they are outliers, not the majority.

[TheRealNorth]

18. In WI

They can't start counting absentee ballots (which includes the ballots cast early in-person) until election day. That's why Tony Ever's ended up pulling ahead of Scott Walker after midnight in 2018- because there was a huge number of absentee and early votes in the City of Milwaukee that needed to he counted (and are not partially reported)

[Ms. Toad]

21. Again - that's why I said Most.

There are a few states in which ballots can't be processed at all, but in most states absentee/early vote ballots are run through the machines, with the only step left being to tabluate the results. In some states they are processed in advance but not tabulated until after the polls close.

Wisconsin is a process starting the day of the election; tabluate after polls close state.

What isn't clear to me from the statute is how in-person early voting is handled. If the ballot is deposited in a box, the same rules would apply. If the ballot is scanned (or a DRE machine is used), all that remains to do is the tabulation.

[Arkansas Granny]

27. In Arkansas absentee ballots can't be counted before election day and counting stops

at 7:30 whether all votes have counted or not. A lawsuit has been filed to challenge that statute

[Ms. Toad]

29. Not precisely.

he election officials for absentee ballots may meet in a place designated by the county board of election commissioners no earlier than the Tuesday before the election for the purpose of opening the outer envelope, processing, and canvassing of absentee ballot paper work and no earlier than 8:30 a.m. on election day for the purpose of opening the inner absentee ballot envelope and counting the absentee ballots.

. . .

(d) It is the intent of this section to require the election officials for absentee ballots to meet and process, canvass, and count absentee ballots according to this section prior to the closing of the polls on election day.

https://codes.findlaw.com/ar/title-7-elections/ar-code-sect-7-5-416.html

So by the time election day rolls around, they are permitted to have reviewed all of the ballots already received - and determined whether they are eligible to be counted or not. (The limitation on the processing period was already extended by executive order, so it should not be an issue.)

All that remains - starting at 8:30 a.m. - is to open the ballots and run them through the scanner.

According to the language of the statute, stopping at 7:30 is aspirational, not a mandate. There is documentation that suggests they are interpreting it as mandatory, but an attorney would make mincemeat of that argument if it came down to counties processing the absentee ballots being physically unable to complete the processing after following the steps leading up to the scanning.

But, in any event, scanning ballots is a relatively quick process - once the pre-tabluation steps have been completed. So the vast majority (or perhaps all) will have been tallied (and should still be the first reported)

[qazplm135]

6. nah

you want to be on that tower.

[stopdiggin]

17. perhaps some truth here

met a few through the years -- that kinda' enjoyed "swinging from the trees" -- as my granny would have had it.

[Drunken Irishman]

8. People are really misreading Kavanagh's comments.

They're problematic but have nothing to do with how long it takes to count ballots. He was specifically talking about ballots received AFTER election day - not counting ballots after election day. There's a difference, as there's no way they're just going to stop counting st 12:01am on Wednesday.

[Thekaspervote]

13. +1000..let the idiot whine and complain it's not going to stop vote counting

[rso]

15. Kavanaugh

Precisely, that’s something totally different.

[Newest Reality]

9. I understand.

It makes sense not to worry about things you can't control, even if that seems to be a way to cope.

You CAN control your own reactions to things, if you want to and that's really important right now. When you are aware of your tendency to worry about what is, that helps you to respond better rather than react like that. Your attitude itself may be the one thing you can change, if needs be.

Be concerned, but not afraid. Be engaged, but with a stoic attitude. Fear is a killer in many ways and it can paralyze you and make you weak sometimes. It stimulates the secretion of cortisone, so, on a regular basis that hormone can break your health down over time and then, you have something more to "worry" about.

Anxiety is a loop of fear going around and around where the thoughts and feelings trigger stress hormones and adrenaline and that amplifies the fear, and around and around it goes, sometimes reaching a fevered pitch that becomes "free floating anxiety" where you don't even know the cause of it anymore.

Whatever comes, let it come. Whatever stays, let it stay. Whatever goes, let it go.

Stay aware of your own thoughts and feelings.

[Thekaspervote]

12. Here's what Biden senior advisor/attorney has to say about pukes stealing the election

Link to tweet

?s=21

[IBEWVET]

14. In my county in Fl

I checked and they have already counted my wife and my mail in ballot.

[rso]

16. Florida

In Palm Beach, they have received ours but don’t count them until Election Day.

[PTWB]

22. If Biden wins decisively he will be the next President. He'll be sworn in on schedule:

But the REAL worry comes from Trump trying to inflame and incite violence amongst his most extreme supporters. If he says that Biden’s victory is the result of a “deep stare coup” and the election was “rigged” expect to see right wing extremist attacks break out across the country.

Trump has spent 4 years preparing these extremists. All he need do is light a match.

Which Tweet from Trump do you think is more likely on November 4th:

“RIGGED ELECTION. DEEP STATE COUP. HELP IF YOU CAN.”

Or,

“Congratulations to Joe Biden on a wonderful campaign and thank you to all those who supported me. I wish Joe well and hereby concede.”

[Totally Tunsie]

26. There's no way in hell that tRump will be sending

a Tweet beginning with the word "Congratulations", no matter what the circumstances.

He's a nasty, petty little man who doesn't have a cordial bone in his thumb.