Now that Americans have spoken and casted their votes, what happens next? Well, Americans who went to the polls on Election Day don't actually select the President directly. They actually voted for 538 electors, who, by the constitution of the United States, meet in their respective states and vote for President and Vice President once the popular vote totals are completely counted. These electors are known as the electoral college as a whole. Now that the votes have been counted and certified, all disputes must be settled in the supreme court by December 8th. On December 14th, all electoral votes are cast. These electoral votes must arrive in Washington by December 23rd. On January 3rd, Members of the House and new members of the Senate take the oath of office at noon. This marks the official beginning of the new congress. January 6th is the day that the electoral votes are counted. The President of the Senate (that’s Vice President Mike Pence) presides over the session. Each state gets a vote, and it it the house that decides the next President of the United States. While there are more Democrats in the House, Republicans, as of now, control more state delegations, so it is very possible the House could pick Donald Trump even though there is a Democratic majority. This leads us to January 20th, Inauguration day. This is the day that the elected president takes the oath of office. The people of the country have spoken, and have chosen Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. Assuming that all goes well, do you think that we will have a peaceful transfer of power? If not, what effect do you think it will have on the economy of the country, and with the international relations of the country?
Wolf, Analysis by Zachary B., and Will Mullery. “What Happens between Now and Inauguration Day.” CNN, Cable News Network, 12 Nov. 2020, edition.cnn.com/2020/10/18/politics/electoral-college-timeline-2020-election/index.html.
I do not believe we will have peaceful transition of power. Donald trump has refused to give up the election and I worry about what is going to happen next.
ReplyDeleteI think there is some to worry about with protecting the system. If Trump decides to refuse the transfer of power, what does this mean for the future of the US? It is hard to tell what will actually happen, even though we have a clear president elect. The economy does suffer too because people's expectations are unstable and volatile. This makes it hard for policymakers and the FED to help the economy.
ReplyDeleteConsidering Trump has yet to concede, I do not imagine we will witness a peaceful transfer of power. I think, however, how the issue of "voter fraud" is handled could maybe have an impact on the situation. Perhaps if Trump is convinced that fraud did not occur, he could be more likely to peacefully transfer power over to Biden. Even in this instance, the economy will likely still hurt as we look to face more lockdowns due to rising COVID cases.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if he is still in denial, or somehow fraud is discovered, then the U.S. will likely face a very ugly period. Likely we would experience more riots, and as Libby mentioned, people's expectations will be unstable and volatile, in addition to potentially more lockdowns due to COVID-19.
Markets have already hedged bets on a chaotic election. Assuming that no major catastrophes happen between now and January 20th, I don't think the transition of power will have too much of an effect on the economy. That's not to say that de-legitimizing the election doesn't have adverse effects. It does. I just think that, for the moment, Trump's refusal to concede is more like a tantrum than a coup, especially given the quick rejections of many of his bogus legal complaints.
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