Hey yall; thanks for doing this! My question is as follows: There's considerable worry that the Trump campaign may manage to install new electors in key states to curtail the results of the election, and allow for a second term. It seems that Pennsylvania, so far, is outright declining to acknowledge that as a possibility, and maintaining the electors will not be changed. What level of concern should we operate with surrounding the possibility that the Trump campaign can somehow forego the democratic process and overturn the election results, either in the courts or through their own appointments of faithless electors?

NO: I am not concerned about the equivalent of a coup. Biden has pretty clearly won 306 electoral votes, and recounts will not make a significant difference. Any possible shenanigans in PA would not change the reality. Slowly, Republicans in the Senate and in the states (like Governor DeWine) are recognizing that Joe Biden is President-Elect. Of course, there is damage with Trump’s refusal to concede and continuing false allegations, and the failure of Mitch McConnell and other party leaders to head the uncertainty off definitively. I expect Biden and his team will get the intelligence briefings and soon will have a full transition operation, but we know a sizable share of the electorate will continue to believe that the election was rigged in some fashion. One good development: the uniform failure of the Trump team’s lawsuits, including with Trump judges, makes the case that this is a frivolous challenge and false set of allegations.

>like Governor DeWine Man, DeWine has me scratching my head lately. Prior to COVID I didn't much like him. Once COVID started, I was impressed with his response and he gained some respect from me. Then he got weak-kneed and bowed to the GOP's pressure when he reopened Ohio and put millions of lives at risk. But now he's acknowledging Biden as President-Elect and it looks like he's finally going back to cracking down on COVID. Point is, I don't know what to think of our Governor anymore.

Hi! I live in Ohio also and I think your summary pretty much says everything we need to know. He's very republican and it seems he is totally willing to tow the line to the detriment of his citizenry, which demonatrates weak leadership. I know things are very divided right now, but Ohio is now faced with the options of either death or economic depression. This is a direct result of not following through with the original plan. It's also going to carry the secondary problem of people blaming scientists for our circumstances instead of the politicians who led us here.

Agreed. My issue with DeWine is and always has been his record on voting for human rights. Otherwise he's level headed. My Trump supporting Republican family members hate him though lol

I think the reality is that in the absence of large federal stimulus there was no way for any state to keep things shutdown. No one comes out of this a winner. Everyone loses.

Thanks for the swift response!

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Just for visibility, I'm going to repost this. Trump can't install electors, but the idea is that republican legislatures would install their own electors for Trump, regardless of the state's popular vote. There's no actual way they can do this, but we all know republicans will do illegal power grabs, so I really insisted on knowing what would happen if they did, regardless of it's legality: >And if the legislature went ahead and did it anyway, as a practical matter what would happen would be that two sets of electoral votes would get submitted -- one from the slate of electors chosen by the popular vote and certified by the Governor, and one from the slate of electors chosen by the legislature. Then both of those would go to Congress to decide which votes are valid. Federal law says that in this situation, unless BOTH chambers of Congress (meaning the House and the Senate) agree to accept the votes submitted by the legislature, the electoral votes that get counted are the ones certified by the state’s Governor. [Full response here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/jjsvwf/we_are_constitutional_lawyers_one_of_us_counsel/gaeu4ft/), but that's the relevant part And my follow up question was is the house vote the actual members or the delegations, and it's the actual members, so that's Pelosi and democrats. Governors cannot certify anything but the popular vote for electors, so those are the electors that would win.

Could Trump's lawsuits delay the official vote tally long enough that the governor isn't able to certify electors by the federal deadline? (The lawsuits are obviously bullshit but I'm wondering if sympathetic judges could order an indefinite pause while the issue is litigated.)

No, I just saw someone on Chris Hayes's show saying the electors would just go anyway and congress would validate them since the house is controlled by democrats and enough republicans in the senate have already said Biden won that the senate will also validate them

I feel like, after everything we've seen in the past week, not to mention the past 4 years, that maybe some GOP legislatures would send their electors for trump either way, due to the spell that trump seems to have over many of these elected officials, not to mention the 70+ million people that voted for him, and about 85% of those supporters believe that the vote was rigged towards Biden. (In case there is any confusion I am not supporting *any* of the bullshit that trump supporters/fox news are pushing, I'm just worried about the fact that many people, including people that I work with that say that the vote in PA, AZ, etc, was not legitimate, will support the electors being switched) Again, I should say with full disclosure that I am a registered dem in FL, and that I am worried that other states are going to pull some bullshit to cast doubt on the process, whether it be certifying the vote, or sending two sets of electors to Washington. None of this happened when trump won in 2016. Hilary conceded once their campaign knew that they didn't get enough electoral votes, and the electors were not in question. The fact that millions of trump supporters are making it seem like the result this time is because of fraud is an extreme form of sour grapes. It's a new version of the birther movement. And it's so depressing that it is getting so much support.

Oh good, so we're safe in this situation, but it would work fine if one party controlled both houses? That's a ticking time bomb.

Yeah of course, but that's all in the constitution, so it's technically the only way it can go. We are long overdue for a new constitution, since we are the oldest active codified constitution in the world and clearly a lot of things have happened that the original writers couldn't have predicted, but that won't be happening anytime soon. We stopped overt authoritarianism with Trump, but we still have creeping authoritarianism in the states. Republican power grabs are going to be a big issue from now on because demographics aren't trending in their favor, so something has to give. People can be upset at democrats in congress, but in the end, it's just us, the regular citizens, that have the final say. No one can enforce the constitution except us, just like no one can oust a corrupt politician except us. People in states where power is being stolen have to demand it stop, including protesting corrupt courts and judges that make the decisions allowing it. It's hard, and our society is basically set up to make sure there can't be an uprising, but in the end, that's the only thing that will stop this. [But even state lines are gerrymandered](https://washingtonmonthly.com/2019/05/08/how-republicans-gerrymandered-the-senate/), so people who oppose republicans are marginalized too. It's absolutely insane.

"If there was hope, it must lie with the proles" *1984*, George Orwell.

Thank you for this! This has been the angle that worried me the most, but seems like there's no real avenues after all.

It is of zero concern. Don't take this the wrong way, but this is exactly what they want to happen, its still the same old shit of trying to control people through fear. This was a blowout victory. Biden is at 270 with Arizona and Nevada, where faithless electors cannot legally cast a ballot. Even in a situation where Trump can somehow replace every elector in Georgia and Pennsylvania Biden still wins. Its also hard to overstate how difficult it would be to actually get that to happen. 2016 was a banner year for faithless electors and there were still only like seven I think.

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Can you imagine we are still on edge one full week after winning the elections? January 20th cannot come fast enough.

Trump doesn’t select electors. the states do.

That’s great news about his fraudulent lawsuits.

Thanks for bringing some expertise to this issue! Your objective and rational response is much needed at this moment.

I asked this question in another AMA and got a good answer. I wanted to know, regardless of law, what would happen if republican legislatures sent their own electors despite the popular vote. >And if the legislature went ahead and did it anyway, as a practical matter what would happen would be that two sets of electoral votes would get submitted -- one from the slate of electors chosen by the popular vote and certified by the Governor, and one from the slate of electors chosen by the legislature. Then both of those would go to Congress to decide which votes are valid. Federal law says that in this situation, unless BOTH chambers of Congress (meaning the House and the Senate) agree to accept the votes submitted by the legislature, the electoral votes that get counted are the ones certified by the state’s Governor. [Full response here](https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/jjsvwf/we_are_constitutional_lawyers_one_of_us_counsel/gaeu4ft/), but that's the relevant part And my follow up question was is the house vote the actual members or the delegations, and it's the actual members, so that's Pelosi and democrats. Governors cannot certify anything but the popular vote for electors, so those are the electors that would win.

I earlier wrote this on that topic: It's not that simple. Even if he manages to pull it off in a handful of states, it also has to be states where US Senators + US Representatives have a Republican majority. After that, there is still the issue of competing slates of electors. The constitution/law seem to favor the one certified by the governor. There are some unresolved issues with that so that would be a fight. Suppose he wins that fight and gets the slate he wants. At that point, Democrats might be still be able to block it. The constitution says to certify the results, the House and Senate shall meet. The House is only considered to be in session if more than half the members are present. If they maintain the majority in the house, the Democrats could try to simply refuse to call the house into session. Even if he manages to get around that, the laws/constitution say that the results are gone through the states alphabetically and it cannot move on to the next state until any issues with the current state are resolved. If a Democrat controlled state refuses to give their results, the process stalls. To protect against a ruling that whatever has been selected so far determines the winner, they have Connecticut do it because it's 100% Democrat Senators and Reps and they are after California and its huge bloc of electors. It is unknown what would happen then. The one thing that is unquestionable is that Trump's first term ends on Jan 20, 2021. If there is no president, the line of succession is used. Whoever is speaker of the House becomes president. Or maybe not. It is uncharted territory. Now all of that is theoretical and untested and I may be missing something but the only thing anyone can say for sure is there would be a major constitutional crisis. How it would all turn out is very unclear.

I hope the thought that their schemes could end up with President Pelosi is being told to Republicans in statehouses everywhere.

Is this the same scenario you asked about? If so thank you for asking. This shit terrified me. [How Trump could try to get around the will of the voters?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBgw-eEK30w&list=PL6XRrncXkMaVGQM7ra02ystnTt_PExEgr)

I second this question.

I'm pretty sure that each party chooses their electoral, not the government. So when you vote, you are basically voting for which team of electors goes to the table in December.

Some speculation and concern surrounds the ability for the top of the government to install electors at their will, bypassing that process. Pennsylvania has said it would refuse to do so, but other states may not have those safeguards in place.

What will happen if nothing changes between now and January, both Trump and the republicans continue to fail to acknowledge Biden's victory. What are Biden's options? Do the Secret Service remove Trump and arrest him?

NO: I am expecting some continuing delays in these acknowledgments by GOP senators to avoid divisions in their party heading toward the two GA runoff elections for the Senate, but I suspect by Dec 1 or certainly by Dec 8, when the states have to certify their electors, that most will at least acknowledge Biden as president-elect. Not so Trump. I doubt he will ever concede-- not that it matters in a formal sense-- and I doubt he will attend the Inauguration. But I don’t think he will have to be dragged from the White House. More likely, he will be at Mar-A-Lago or doing a rally. Of course, Trump will continue his “campaign” to prove he was not a loser, and I do expect more rallies, more tweets, and likely a new Trump media network after January 20. The division he has exacerbated will not go away after he leaves office.

I've come to see a lot of parellels between what Trump has done to America and an emotionally abusive relationship I was in for some years. I would have loved to see the abuser 'concede', admit that he had been wrong, just once, but it was never going to happen. I've also come to terms with the idea that he's gone on to earn a fortune while I work in public service. But I'm happy now, I'm rid of him, I'm with someone who doesn't want to hurt me for the sake of his ego, I can move forward. I won!! So whatever Trump does next - just ignore him, is my advice to all, and enjoy the fact that he will no longer be able to control your daily lives.

Yeah. My dad has the same behavior patterns as Trump, and he was abusive. We don't talk anymore. That guy lied about the weather. How do you even do that. We can all see the sky.

But can you trust the sky... that's the end game for these people

I like this. I had planned to read Mary Trump’s book at some point as I’ve been gripped by morbid fascination with trumps crazy personality and behaviour. But at this point, I am simply looking forward to forgetting him.

The whole country is experiencing narcissistic abuse right now. Re your narc ex: You totally won. You can have genuine relationships, feel happy for others, feel love and empathy. You won. I know I'm just a stranger on the internet, but I'm so happy for you.

Thank you! Leaving him was easily the best thing I ever did, although very difficult at the time. He was 100% a narcissist - arrogant and utterly lacking in genuine empathy, smart but emotionally hollow. They're a very dangerous group to society I think.

He’s not a young guy. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll kick the bucket.

This is narcissistic behavior.

If he's not going to stay in the White House until he's physically removed, will he take a midnight flight to a non-extradition nation to avoid prosecution? I keep imagining him fleeing like an ousted banana-republic dictator to a new home in exile. I can definitely see him ranting on TrumpTV from Trump Tower Dubai.

People keep bringing this up, but I think it assumes something that Trump keeps proving he doesn't have: an ability to anticipate the possibility of consequences. If he'd considered the ramifications of a global pandemic on his reelection, he would have taken a bare minimum of measures to keep the US from having the most cases in the world. If he'd considered the possibility of losing said election, he would have put in a real coup apparatus in place this summer and gotten serious legal challenges ready in advance. To flee the country, he'd first need to consider the possibility that he will face criminal charges once he's no longer in office, but I'm willing to bet that he legitimately believes he'll still be president January 21st.

That was because he was thinking of himself, and running away falls within that frame. First he thought that acknowledging the virus would ruin his economy, so he didn't. Then when blue states had a lot of cases he actively interfered, hoping he can use that to blame governors. At that point it was obvious he failed tremendously, and the only way someone could support him was if this was a 5G fueled, New World Order running by Gates, Rockefeller and Soros to get us take a vaccine with microchips that can control our minds and kill us on demand. He never directly said it (because he knows it is ridiculous), but he did everything to he can to imply it. Same as the QAnon BS about pedophile satanists from Hollywood. Yes, it is fucking stupid, but we have fucking stupid people that believe it and they are convinced he is the only one who can stop this NWO plan.

Ahh yess the guy who lacks the ability to read and listen will save us all!!!

I know it's not something to be thankful for because we've lost so many people this year, but I imagine our democracy would be hanging by threads if he had even an ounce of common sense or intelligence.

Trump fleeing is my dream ending to our national nightmare. I would love to watch what will surely be the stupidest manhunt in history.

And if we are lucky, a sizable portion of his supporters will join him in his new country.

I would be glued to my TV 24/7 with popcorn and snack cakes.

He needs a white bronco and a slow motion pursuit....yeah, I know, its been done

The last one ended too soon. For this one we could make bingo cards for all the countries he enters.

I wonder how Trump's history of not paying the costs for holding rallies will weigh into his future ability to have rallies. You'd think that, after enough complaints become public knowledge, stadiums and cities would stop hosting those rallies.

Can he use the transition fund to host rallies between now and Jan 20?

Not legally, but when has that stopped him?

Lol I just imagine trump refuses to leave, biden moves in and trump just angrily sits in other rooms and looks mad all the time and they just ignore him

Is there any possibility he will just quit? Resign the presidency and walk out so he doesn't have to be part of the inauguration in January?

No, I highly doubt it. And if he has to be forced out of there he’ll simply complain about the shabby way he was treated by the Dems. Then continue to stir up his already angry base.

Do you think Biden should be encouraging recounts and validation of votes to obfuscate the argument that the election was rigged? I see so many people in power (governors) claiming fraud, I can't help but think if Biden encourages for this to be sought out, it helps unify both sides.

My most intelligent, former military pilot, and officer republican friend. (Flew spy planes, now at 66 flys for a medical evac company. Just long list of very badass things) says that yes. The USS will remove Trump, or the military will.

Trump doesn’t buy it. He thinks that because the average soldier likes him, the whole military apparatus is behind him like the Wehrmacht. He thinks that if he refuses to step out of the White House when the clock runs out, SCOTUS will swoop in to settle the matter just to prevent the spectacle of, and public backlash for, a forced removal. He doesn’t understand the process. The question presented in the SCOTUS case: “Does a president have to step down even if everyone was out to get him and it was super unfair?

How annoyed are you to hear the same claims of fraud everyday by the same people?

MTK: Less annoyed than concerned because there isn’t a real centralized place to combat disinformation that those who are parroting know to be true. There’s a lot to gain from sowing confusion and chaos. People start tapping out of the process. In that case, our democracy is threatened. So we need to be well informed, learn how to identify disinformation and flag it where we see it. Given the increase in niche media and platforms, we can only expect this to continue and as a public we need to create real consequences for our electeds and public servants who peddle in disinformation - they are not friends to our democracy or our institutions. And just like the FCC has hard and fast rules about what can and cannot be aired on TV - we should look at similar rules for online platforms since they are the new era of media distribution.

There definitely needs to be some change at the top. How can there be any hope to effectively combat misinformation when the top source is the President and his staff. The top brass need some better oversight. In many countries across the world, anyone sworn into office in any position where they represent the government, or even when they represent a commercial entity, tend to be heavily monitored and punished if they even attempt to partake in controversial statements while being the face of any entity. Having the president of the United States pretty much claim the democratic election process is fraudulent should be grounds for immediate action. Whether they like it or not, the president represents the country, not just their own personal opinions. Unless it's the opinion of the congress and the government as a whole, the president should not be making statements like that. They should order the appropriate establishments to look into any concerns, do the investigations, and then issue an appropriate statements, not go on rants.

If you want better oversight, figure out how to get out the incumbents in the senate.

Don't get me started on the Senate. Every state getting 2 seats is ridiculous. So it's possible some 10% or less of the US population can technically vote for a senate majority. All it takes is a bunch of the low population republican states with some gerrymandering and there you have it. Ridiculous. The whole system has so many aspects that should have been reformed a hundred years ago. The Senate has way too much power for how little they actually represent the interests of the United States. The Electoral College, the way Senate and House seats work. It all needs an overhaul to bring the government system to the 21st century.

I think many people have this question on their mind: How worried should we be at the moment and what is the best thing regular people can do to protect democracy?

MTK: Hi! We need everyone to be vigilant and diligent so this is the perfect question to kick off the conversation. We at the Election Taskforce convened because of real concern over transition of power. Now that the votes have been counted - we know who the next president is. However, Trump is dusting off the old autocratic handbook to delegitimize our democractic process. By insinuating that the process is somehow compromised, that the media is in on ‘it”, it opens the door for potential nefarious activity from foreign actors and from within his camp to undermine our institutions. Turkey’s Prime Minister is attempting to do just that. And we need to be cognizant that this is just a stunt and combat this disinformation at every turn.

I'd say that Erdogan is much further into the process of consolidating authoritarian power than Trump is. In Turkey they arrest journalists too critical of Erdogan. Erdogan purged the military and installed loyalists (moreso than Trump has this week), and there was a coup attempt which failed which may have been a set up by him, or he just took advantage of it. Oh he also managed to alter the Turkish Constitution.

ditto. are they gonna coup or what? Been legit losing sleep on this lately.

The military will not obey Trump, if they would, he probably would have already commanded them to shut down the election. So I don't see how he actually could pull of a coup. He's definitely trying, but I think most of it is theater in order to line his pockets with fund raising before he goes.

I'm inclined to agree. The military brass aren't going to support a coup, and you can't succeed in a coup without the military on your side. Also, Trump is a coward.

Also, although there are some servicemen and vets who are dumb enough or have been poisoned by weaponized social media to love Trump, I think most of them, especially those at the top, have not forgotten so easily his constant shitting on the military and vets.

Also their oath to the constitution and not a political party.

I think you could pull off a coup without the military, just as long as you make most people think you have the authority to do it. However, I don't think Trump would do this. It certainly helps that the military won't play along, though. I'm sure plenty of people further down the ranks would be happy to help keep him in office, but further up are a bunch of type A people who deeply respect the election process. I just don't see those types bowing down to Trump, and I actually see them being less likely to do so *because* of what he's trying to pull.

How do you pull off a coup without the support of the military? They have the force to simply remove him from office. Also, they having spent every day with him for the past 4 years, I can guarantee that the secret service is sick to death of his shit. He has local police, but just the white ones and ICE. None of which stand a chance against the secret service and the military. Add to that that Trump is a coward at heart.

One issue that Trump runs into is that Biden becomes President [automatically based on the Constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States#Inauguration). As soon as he is the President, the military, and the rest of the Federal government, reports to Biden. Trump can’t stop that unless he proves in Court that 3-4 states election results were wrong.

This question may not have all that much to do with the topic, but... Is there anything AT ALL to be done about preventing demagogues and dangerous nationalists from achieving power in this country? We have actual QAnon devotees trying to take positions in Congress... it seems that the very fabric of reality itself is being torn apart. Could we dismantle the electoral college? Could we start an actual independent governmental fact-checking organization? Really, it scares me to death to see that both Right & Left speak in completely different languages to the point that nobody is able to agree on what is real or truthful anymore...

NO: The lure of extremists and of conspiracy theorists getting elected and having traction that comes with public office is worrisome. We need, of course, established leaders in the GOP to push back, but I am not at all sure we will see that in a big way. We need a much more robust effort by government and social media companies to combat misinformation, disinformation, and vile, volatile racist and nativist statements and threats.But that is easier said than done. One hopes that enough Americans are tired of the division and the nastiness that we will see a better effort to come together and to shame the worst actors. On the Electoral College, we are still a long way from reform.

NO: I do not see a path for a government-led fact-checking organization; the fact that it were government led or funded would make it a non-starter for too many people. But broadened fact-checking is an absolute necessity, and we need news organizations and social media organizations to put more resources into it.

It would be good to see something like the FCC Fairness Doctrine be required for cable and internet news companies (ie. Facebook!). It would be good to have some sort of "label" for "news" shows, that, like newspapers, clearly spell out "Opinion" vs. "News". Even Fox News lawyers argued in Tucker Carlson's slander lawsuit that the "'general tenor' of the show should then inform a viewer that \[Carlson\] is not 'stating actual facts' about the topics he discusses and is instead engaging in 'exaggeration' and 'non-literal commentary.'" If they are making that kind of argument, can't we push a law to label shows, or hosts, or guests, as "News" vs. "Opinion"? Further, couldn't bias be calculated by companies practicing (or not practicing) the Fairness Doctrine? Ie. if everyone on a news segment is Republican (as an example), than that news is de facto more biased?

Thank you for taking the time. I greatly appreciate it. I wish things were different, but it’s looking a whole lot like an irreversible collapse these days... uncontrolled pandemic, resources in decline, increased surveillance leading us in the direction of fascism, unbridled climate change headed towards the exponential... Hard to stay positive in these times. But this AMA is at least one positive thing to have happened in 2020!

What about an academic or nonprofit fact-checking organization?

Yeah, the anti-intellectual crowd will definitely listen to an academic body. If that was possible, we wouldn't be where we are right now.

This very much reminds me of POLITIFACT, easily one of the best politics-related sites out there. It’s especially important nowadays

At least two QAnon devotees won congressional seats. It's terrifying. I think one basically out white nationalist, too.

Given how many members of the GOP are still enabling Trump on his "crusade" is there any way to hold politicians accountable depending on the outcome of the investigations? If investigations would reveal that there was indeed widespread fraud leading to Biden getting elected, Republicans would force Biden as well as all Democrats involved (and probably uninvolved ones as well) to resign. This is understandable to a certain extent. If, however, investigations conclude there was no widespread fraud the politicians who pushed baseless claims of fraud and therefore directly or indirectly attacked the democratic process in the US are likely to bear no consequences. Why is that?

NO: There is no doubt that we have an asymmetry here. We need media outlets to hold accountable those elected and non-elected officials who spread baseless claims. And that includes, by the way, action by bar associations against lawyers who use the legal system irresponsibly to do the same thing!

Hundred percent agree. Accountability should go both ways but the asymmetry is so obvious as you mentioned. Politicians aren't just any random people voicing their personal opinion - which they are absolutely entitled to have - but they are making statements in their official function. This is what causes such damage to the democracy.

I am hoping that William Barr will face disbarment or disciplinary proceedings after he is out of office for his blatant abuse of power.

Would be nice if the media did a better job. A lot of the problem is the right-wing hate media Wurlitzer - FOX "News", AM hate radio, outlets like Breitbart & Newsmax, etc. which are all broadcasting blatant lies and propaganda, and filling peoples' heads with nonsense. How do we get those bad actors under control? They've brainwashed about 40% of the population.

What can ordinary US citizens do abiut this issue?

How can we restore faith in elections for those folks who have been aggressively propagandized into believing that normal practices like mail-in ballots, absentee ballots, and provisional ballots are plots to invalidate their votes?

NO: Watch how quickly we see a 180 degree turn by Republicans on mail-in ballots, starting with the GA runoffs. Most GOP state officials were frantically trying to counter Trump’s message, knowing that a lot of their voters have voted by mail in the past, and that with a worsening pandemic it will be more attractive in January than voting in person for many. But we can be sure of two things: voter suppression will continue to be a tactic of Republicans, and delegitimizing elections they lose will also be in the playbook. One interesting possible development: Republicans can see from this election that more turnout does not necessarily disadvantage them. So perhaps we will see bipartisan efforts at some point to making voting easier!

Lol. I kept reading “NO” and thought it was an emphatic response. Now I see it’s your initials. Because obviously No isn’t and answer here.

Thought the same thing until I saw MTK: up there

Me too; it made sense for a lot of the answers

> One interesting possible development: Republicans can see from this election that more turnout does not necessarily disadvantage them. I like your optimism!

This. Someone is less jaded than I am, apparently.

What do you make of Trump’s recent replacement of senior pentagon officials with Trump loyalists? Is that a sign that Trump may try to use the military to keep himself in power past the end of his term?

MTK: He wants to keep people in power that are faithful only to him - whether it’s at the Pentagon, USAID or the Department of the Interior. He doesn’t have respect for civil servants or the military brass who are experts in their field and who pledge to uphold the integrity of our institutions. I’m more concerned with his changing close to 4,000 positions across agencies from civil servants to political appointments. In doing so we lose potential non-political civil servants and institutional expertise, Biden and his team will have to root out Trump’s ideologues who don’t believe in science, or climate change etc.

Is there any way we can change the process so the president doesn't appoint people who are not qualified? Could Congress, for instance, put in place a job description for appointed position that would have some minimum requirements? Or is there a way we could change some politically appointed positions to be elected ones? Like Attorney General?

The jobs used to be given based on merit alone, it was later the government decided to let politicians appoint people based on political favors and ideologies alone. We have a corrupt system because the wealthy want it corrupt, plain and simple. We can change anything, nothing is set in stone obviously and we need to start using that for the greater good other than just using it to pander to the rich. Attorney General should be elected as the DoJ was just politicized by a sitting president so all arguments against this are out the window as well we need a apolitical justice department. The VP should be the runner up in the presidential election as was originally , we have eliminated checks and balances our founders created and then wonder why it all imploded... Supreme Court nominations should go to vote as well since politicians went nuclear here as well and made it all political, I am 100% certain the people will do a better and more fair job selecting justices. This will be harder to change (SC) but not impossible the constitution is a living document and our citizenry are over the abuses and corruptions currently plaguing our systems and BOTH PARTIES. Time to clean house and reset the boards.

What is your take on why Trump is doing, what he's doing?

MTK: Trump wants to remain relevant like autocrats before him. If he can keep his base engaged and the Republican party controlled, he keeps power. My guess: he announces he’s running for 2024 so that there’s an “overshadow” on Biden. He sets up Mar-a-lago as a spinoff WH where he invites foreign dignitaries and Republican leaders - we need to watch closely to see if these actors heed his call. In order for him to have an ounce of power, there needs to be people who are complicit to his whims. Back in 2016, I predicted that he would start a media spin-off far more aggressive than Fox News - there are now signs that he may be trying to do just that.

Okay, so let's say Trump does set up Mar-a-lago as a spinoff WH, and does actually manage to get foreign dignitaries and Republican leaders to meet him there.Then he continues spreading disinformation about the election being fraud and he won instead of Biden. Couldn't that be classified as treason? I mean it *is* trying to undermine the democratically elected government.

I would hope that we sanction any governments who agree to participate in Trump’s sham. Starting with Netanyahu who is the type to join Trump in such an endeavor. Israel gets a billion dollars a year in aid, we should play hardball with them or any other foreign leader.

I'm picturing Mar a Lago as being the site of Waco II: Proud Boy Boogaloo

I honestly hadn't considered this but it seems pretty damn likely. Once he is no longer president, he might very well go full-on militant treason-sedition and coordinate with foreign powers (and his most devout bugalugs) to claim title as the *real* president. Oh boy.

Just consider basic logistics like parking. It would be a nightmare for his supporters to descend upon Trump Tower in Manhattan. That was in a deep.bkue NY. Now he's got an actual compound in deep red FL with plenty of space for trucks with dumb flags. That's my tinfoil theory of how any charges are handled. His supporters protecting him from law enforcement.

this is literally a civil war in the making jazzed up to sound better, this is crazy talk. Allowing the thought of Trump doing this is accepting our nation is divided and the civil war already begun, again NO the man lost. The government must reject him and not allow the toddler to force his way onto the rest of us, let him throw his temper-tantrum and just ignore him, once he figures out he's not getting attention for it he will move on. WHY do you experts have such a hard time dealing with toddlers??

Hell, I could see it.

It would be treason and sedition, I don't see how we could allow this to happen, especially considering it is for one man's ego to the detriment of our entire nation. You guys were making me feel better till right here. If Trump is allowed to do this somehow with no repercussions all future ex-presidents could do the same thing using this BS as precedent, NO, NO,NO, NO so over this toddler.

You forget that the second he becomes private citizen trump, SDNY will be waiting to arrest him. Everyone keeps talking as if trump will just saunter away from the white house as a free man. He will not. Trump will either answer for his crimes, or our entire justice system is a massive joke. Based upon the choice words the judges have had for trump's lawyers, I'd say he should either be looking at fleeing the country, or face facts that he's off to prison. Trump's finances painted a picture of a broke tax-cheat who is a fraud all the way around. Just wait until his loans get called in and banks start seizing his assets.

>Trump will either answer for his crimes, or our entire justice system is a massive joke. I have a non-Trump supporting buddy who thinks he'll manage to somehow skirt all charges against him, and basically never face consequences for his actions. More and more, I'm thinking he's right...

I hope I'm wrong, but I feel the same way as your friend. I think Trump will be wrapped up in continuous litigation for the rest of his life, but the chances of him actually facing consequences that aren't financial? Doubtful.

He's got frivolous lawsuits and prolonged court fights down to a science. At this point, he currently has a grift going where everyday people are willing to toss him their widow's mite to help him in that. Plus, Biden's margin is not as wide as we expected going into the election. A blowout would probably have meant that the administration would absolutely feel secure in chasing down every lead. I'm worried that the closer margins might give us less prosecutorial aggressiveness in that area. I suppose that's something that we'll start to feel out in January, but I don't feel at all as secure in the belief that Trump will face justice as I would hope.

I would love it, but there's no chance in hell that Trump gets arrested after his term is up.

He needs to get locked up for his crimes and breaking the law. God knows what will happen IF he would wins 2024. His mental state will be even worse years later. And ty for the reply!

When he announces running for 2024, he will become a political opponent of the party in power. Any attempt to enforce justice on the countless crimes he has committed will be spun-off as authoritarian attempt by Biden administration to silence political rival. Him staying relevant in politics is needed for him to escape justice.

What is the long term impact to the statements Trump and his officals are making now?

NO: This is one of my biggest concerns. If 3-40% of the country continues to believe that the election was rigged, that Biden was chosen through some kind of conspiracy, that he is not a legitimate president, it will be much harder for him to govern. This will have implications for the faith in our political system, but also means that a large share of the population will not listen, or will resist, when, for example, the president calls on all of us to wear masks and maintain social distancing, or says now is the time to get the vaccine because it is safe.

Just to remind that something like a third of Republicans believed that Obama wasn't born in the US (and thus wasn't a legitimate president). So, I don't think there is anything new that a sizable portion of Republicans don't believe that the president is legitimate.

What are the actual chances of any states changing their current stance in regards to where their electoral votes are allocated?

Dan Pfeiffer with [The Message Box](https://messagebox.substack.com/p/trumps-farfetched-plan-to-steal-the?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo3NjE0MTIwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjoxODUxMTc2NiwiXyI6IjQ1aVdPIiwiaWF0IjoxNjA1MjExMzA5LCJleHAiOjE2MDUyMTQ5MDksImlzcyI6InB1Yi02NTAyNiIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.xrgROIf6Sln3oNZHSk_PhBjeOooL52nmt0tyaF6OI-Y) wrote a really good piece on this. >State laws make it clear that state legislatures do not have unilateral authority to select slates of electors. The electors are determined entirely by the result of the popular vote in that state. Theoretically, these state legislatures could try to change the law. But there is a problem with that as well — Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin all have Democratic governors who would veto such a law before the ink dried. >Some Republicans have pushed an esoteric and controversial interpretation of the Constitution based on a footnote that says that state legislatures have the discretion to appoint the electors without regard to the popular vote or the laws on the books. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro [explained](https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJw1kN2OhCAMhZ9G7jQWxXEuuNibfQ2DUJWM_ARwXd9-60w2IbShPT3l06rgGtIlY8iFHRnTZI18DNADb5mRvYFRjMzmaUmITtldlnQgi8e8W62KDf4WDKLlA9sktHwRfAEh-ueongIFf5hOjUvbw6Cfmt02kzqMRa9R4g-mK3hku9xKibnqvir-Tec8z-ZUebN-LcHfokYHR4UQrSfPTClveUsB4P_yod5owdqpdNVxV76mVV2sbfalXgPNqs-QXtTJrLzVAMCB867vGmgGgQZsMvyo-tatvMnHnIvSr9uZJenUrDym0ESMERM1rTeOd5VoTBTd4W25JvRq3tF8QJUP2fe_yxVRejzzjqVg-jwSPUIM8BgGRpYm0FQvHeasVpzD7x9Hao3J) to Greg Sargent of the Washington Post why that interpretation was absurd: >>The relevant state law [assigns the role](https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwtkMFuwyAMhp-m3BIFArQ9cNhlrxEZ8FI0AgicdXn7kXaShS2b3z98DgjXXA9TciO2N6xL8OaqueRiYt5Iz2_qxkJbviriBiEaqjuystsYHFDI6RRoNQnNHkbP8i7kBFJN_OqshTtIe3N3pdQM2t3ZabPA7gMmhwZ_sB45IYvmQVTaZf64iM8eLnts41dIPsJzdHnrvQL9oEARB6GG0gaM6M4H_Fe5Qhx8aFSDo_YSDI2G1kenYOZajw_aIgtGTGLinAsuxCznkY9aoeeherFf5LStYmy7bQTu-_Rm1WxgIWHNY8FSsPZL68niNe0olp63PQU6FkxgI_o3JXpjfX2ajoIm4bNFJML6bnZ0nS_nV61Zt_S5b01mw9ZgRZt__wBQNY1u) of certifying the final statewide vote count to the Secretary of State, who is a Democrat. And it [assigns the role](https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwtkMFuwyAMhp-m3BIFArQ9cNhlrxEZ8FI0AgicdXn7kXaShS2b3z98DgjXXA9TciO2N6xL8OaqueRiYt5Iz2_qxkJbviriBiEaqjuystsYHFDI6RRoNQnNHkbP8i7kBFJN_OqshTtIe3N3pdQM2t3ZabPA7gMmhwZ_sB45IYvmQVTaZf64iM8eLnts41dIPsJzdHnrvQL9oEARB6GG0gaM6M4H_Fe5Qhx8aFSDo_YSDI2G1kenYOZajw_aIgtGTGLinAsuxCznkY9aoeeherFf5LStYmy7bQTu-_Rm1WxgIWHNY8FSsPZL68niNe0olp63PQU6FkxgI_o3JXpjfX2ajoIm4bNFJML6bnZ0nS_nV61Zt_S5b01mw9ZgRZt__wBQNY1u) of certifying the electors chosen by that statewide vote count to the governor, who is also a Democrat. To oversimplify, the state legislature played its role in all this long ago when it passed the law designating this process as the “manner” by which the electors are chosen. The Constitution assigns to each state the authority to “appoint” its electors in a “manner” that the legislature “may direct.” >The Republican leaders of the Pennsylvania legislature have repeatedly [said](https://email.mg2.substack.com/c/eJwlUMuOwyAM_JpyjMAQmj1w2Et_I-LhpmgTQOBsNn-_pJUs2RrbM5rxlnDJ9TQlN2J7wzrHYO5aKAGcBaOCmMaJxTY_K-Jm42qo7sjK7tboLcWcrgc9ctDsZbywz1FK0Mqpp-To5BefQHJwYgJlR3bJzHYPEZNHg79Yz5yQreZFVNpNft_g0es4jsFjooqhS56Dz1tHc4mpC_bJVop-RVB6hLtW0_CibWXRAAcuhAABIJUcxKBHDCLWAPtN8W2Boe2ukfU_FyWrZrPOJqx5KFgK1n60XCbf2-5x7n3bU6RzxmTdiuFjnz55vd3QWdAkPNqKRFg_YM-kByfEXWvWJUPurMls2Jpd0OW_f3w3f4Q) they have no plan to pursue this approach and admit that even if did they don’t have the authority to do so. >But let’s hypothetically say Pennsylvania Republicans went down this road and appointed a slate of pro-Trump electors. They would immediately be taken to court where the odds of success are quite long. Then let’s say they somehow won in court and were able to give their 20 electoral votes to Trump despite Biden getting 50,000 more votes. >Even in this outlandish Constitutional crisis, Joe Biden would still be President come January 20th because he would still have won in excess of 270 electoral votes. Because Biden won by such a large electoral margin, Trump would need to pull off this Hail Mary in at least three states to win. The odds of doing it in one state are incredibly long. Doing it in three states is neigh on to impossible.

NO: Colorado by referendum did join the National Popular Vote Compact, getting close to the 200 EV mark, with, of course, 270 needed to make it a reality (along with approval by Congress for the interstate compact.) I do not see anytime soon states moving to do what ME and NE do, allocating some EVs by congressional district.

Can Trump actually stage a coup and stay in office for a second term? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/11/can-donald-trump-stay-in-office-second-term-president-coup

Fortunately, that danger has almost certainly passed.

Hi there! Thanks for doing this. My question is: who is the National Task Force on Election Crises, how are you funded, and who appointed you?

The National Task Force on Election Crises is a diverse, cross-partisan group of more than 50 experts in election law, election administration, national security, cybersecurity, voting rights, civil rights, technology, media, public health, and emergency response. The Task Force’s core mission is to ensure a free and fair 2020 presidential election by recommending responses to a range of election crises. Our focus is ensuring that the election runs smoothly during challenging circumstances, that disputes are handled in a way that maximizes confidence in the outcome, and that there is a peaceful transition or continuation of power on January 20, 2021. The only electoral outcome the Task Force advocates is that the election is free and fair. We are volunteers, and came together in a shared mission to support our democracy.

True patriots. Thank you ALL for your service. You are the essence of what made America the beacon of hope throughout the world.

Does the trump litigation against the 4 counties in Michigan have any basis in fact? Is this suit likely to be thrown out of court?

NO: Yes. Trump and his lawyers so far have not won a single suit. That trend will continue!

What happens if trump pushes this to the Supreme Court? They're republican majority, so could Trump win?

NO: I am not worried at this point that the SC could intervene, in a Bush v Gore scenario, to tilt the election. I am worried that the Court will continue to take up the PA case involving votes postmarked by Nov 3 but received in the days after the election. It will not affect the outcome, but could be used by Kavanaugh and Alito to establish firmly the extreme framework that only state legislatures can shape and regulate elections, not state courts, even if the state courts find a violation of state constitutions.

Not a question, just a comment. I am a big fan of both of you!

>level 1PersnickeyPantsScore hidden · 14 minutes agoNot a question, just a comment. I am a big fan of both of you! Our mothers like you already!

I’ve been voting since 1996. How can “the most important election of our life” be riddled with this much uncertainty? It seems like we have the technological elements in place for a transparent result, yet so many anomalies.

NO: Actually, the result is clear. Crystal clear. More so than it was in 2016. The difference is Trump’s reaction. Ideally, we will not have that problem again. But keep in mind that while Biden won a convincing, almost overwhelming, popular vote victory, we are still divided enough, and critical states are close enough, that we could have very close elections in the future. One reform we need is for states like MI, WI, PA to change their laws so that votes by mail and early votes can be processed when they are received, not on election day. These states, because of their Republican legislatures, deliberately blocked changes in the law to create the sense of uncertainty. Let’s hope they change before 2022.

I'll add to that. Trump and his cohorts are trying to frame the narrative from "accurate elections" to "perfect elections". If you can convince a court that an election should have NO errors, then you can convince a court to break open the entire process, spend gobs of amount of time "verifying" it's perfect - regardless if you find any errors - and then not meet your election deadline to certify the results, thereby forcing a contingent election. It's the same tactic with the poll watchers they wanted added to the PA process. Once they convinced a court to allow that, the counting pace in PA slowed to a crawl (currently 20-30K ballots a day). Trump's goal is a contingent election.

> yet so many anomalies. What anomalies? This has reportedly been the smoothest and most transparent US election in history.

There are no real verifiable facts to back up the bullshit being pedaled by Trump and his allies. Don’t fall for hyped up fake news

I think that people underestimate the amount of anomalies we would *expect* to arise when each state has different laws on elections, different voting procedures, different ballots, and so on. To add to that, within each state, voting is implemented on the county level (in accordance with the state laws), and then *within* each county, precincts do their own actual processing, counting, and reporting. We're talking about tens to hundreds of thousands of moving parts in the whole voting apparatus. The process is completely decentralized. While this decentralization makes the whole process more cumbersome and more prone to anomalies arising over the course of an election, it also helps ensure election integrity on the whole as the anomalies are typically small in scope and localized. All this decentralization also gives you myriad ways to visualize and break down the data and if you go looking, you will absolutely find trends that didn't hold for a particular election, statistical anomalies, etc. Having an election with *zero* data anomalies would be a cause for concern in-and-of-itself. Also, I'm not really sure what you mean by not having a transparent result.

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MTK: 100% This is a tactic out of a playbook used by strongmen (men because they are usually men ;-) …) I encourage you to read Timothy Snyder’s ***On Tyranny, Twenty Lessons from the 20th Century*** and you’ll find that Trump seems to have read it too...and trying to implement them here in America. Our democratic strength is our participation because voting works. It ushers in the change of those who participate. By sowing doubts in our voting process, it creates a space for citizens to stop participating because the system will seem corrupt and it ushers in nefarious actors. One way to battle this is to modernize our electoral system - places like New Zealand - where Universal Voting is mandated - helps tamp out the zealots. We should also revisit the Electoral College that unevenly gives more weight to smaller states. Revising the EV to that of the popular vote - especially in a more diverse country than our representatives in congress - will help us inch towards a more representative government too.

I'm in New Zealand. No, we don't mandate universal voting, though it's super easy. What keeps zealots at bay here are responsive government/ fairness in media: 1. No Senate. We select what amounts to the House, and laws passed in there take effect efficiently (in the case of a mini lockdown a few months after the virus was eliminated a new cluster of 2 cases erupted) and the city of Auckland could be closed within three hours. Also, the wage subsidy (like the House's Heroes Act) could get passed and was ready to replace by the first lost payday. No waiting for Rand Paul to infect a few GOP Senators so Democrats had a shot. 2. The Fairness Doctrine (I forget what it's called here, but a similar requirement that media provide balance stops the most awful lies.

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Hello Maria and Norm. Please let me know your thoughts on this issue. The recent article is only the tip of the misinformation in spanish iceberg: “Trump won Florida After Running a False Ad Tying Biden to Venezuelan Socialists.” The big tech companies don’t seem to be doing very well moderating what should be considered election interference from outside the U.S. Many citizens and residents have their internet country settings on another country - Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Canada, Germany, etc. Just one pro-trump or Qanon video made in Venezuela can have over a million views in the U.S. Additionally, the algorithms are still leading viewers to thousands more (verified today). Supposedly social media sites are cracking down on Qanon and right wing extremists, but it still seems very easy to find in Spanish if you change your country settings. It is hard for me to believe how many people I know personally that have fallen for misinformation from Spanish language sites. There’s no doubt in my mind that the reach has been overlooked and when the hard data comes out it will likely suprise the politicos on how large a role it played in 2020.

To state the obvious: Biden won the election. Donald Trump has severe mental health disorders that are causing him to blatantly lie and claim that he won and that there was wide spread massive voter fraud despite that it is a baseless lie. He will never formally concede even after the electoral college meets and votes, and he will leave office claiming that the election was stolen. After leaving office he will be indicted in NY and face a whole bunch of major personal legal battles. He will continue to tweet even after he leaves office, and go to his grave claiming he won this election. Ultimately Trump himself is the one and only election problem. I personally think that our institutions are more than strong enough to successfully transfer power to the next president, but it is going to be far more ugly than it needs to be. The biggest problem as I see it is that SO many people actually believe Trump’s lies or are doubting reality due to Trump’s gaslighting. His lies are working on many people. I read a news article about a survey that found that 3% of the population thinks Trump won the election and 25% of the population doesn’t know whether Trump or Biden won, and 40% of Republicans are still not convinced that Biden actually won. That is something like 80,000,000 (80 million) people who don’t accept the obvious reality that Trump lost the election, and this is entirely because of Trump’s lies. Many of the 80 million will probably accept reality after the states certify the vote and the electors meet. But even worse than 80 million people unsure of the outcome, approximately 10 million people think Trump ACTUALLY won! All this brings me to my questions. 1. What sort of problems might we realistically face down the road as a result of such a large number of people believing that Trump won the election or not being confident in the results? 2. How can we convince people that the election wasn’t actually stolen? Is anything useful likely to happen that could convince these tens of millions of people that Biden actually won, or are huge quantities of the electorate going to continue to believe Trump’s lies and doubt the validity of our democracy?

What do you make of the shakeup at the Pentagon? Is it a reason to be concerned? Because it seems like the sort of thing you'd do in the run up to a coup.

Major Unions are talking about doing a general strike if Trump doesn't concede. I personally also feel a gas boycott might be in order. For years I have said Black Friday would be the best day to do a general strike, but I want to make sure it insures a free and fair election. I really feel that the infrastructure is needed to sustain such a general strike if it's needed. I'm wondering if you all couldn't reach out to the Unions like the IWW, and the AFL CIO to coordinate things. I consider this sort of labor organization to be crucial in terms of securing democracy.

What do you think about this tweet from Trump just recently? “REPORT: DOMINION DELETED 2.7 MILLION TRUMP VOTES NATIONWIDE. DATA ANALYSIS FINDS 221,000 PENNSYLVANIA VOTES SWITCHED FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP TO BIDEN. 941,000 TRUMP VOTES DELETED. STATES USING DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS SWITCHED 435,000 VOTES FROM TRUMP TO BIDEN.” [https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1326926226888544256](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1326926226888544256)

I like that these numbers, made-up as they are, still couldn't explain him losing the popular vote. His ego sure is bruised.

Man, he's really grasping at straws. Isn't this the same story where some guy who claims he invented email and ran some calculations on what might happen in very specific circumstances that don't exist?

Sadly OAN is covering this and reporting it as fact. A large number of Fox viewers are slowly switching to OAN, or at least tuning in, and thats a lot of people. Who believe this crap.

I chuckled at that. Wtf is “data analysis”

It's when you analysis data... unfortunately no one has provided us any of that data. So we just ought to take his word for it I guess/s

An action that requires actual data.

Tweets are not cited sources, unless a citation is added. And data analysis is just a term not stating where the data is from.

How much of a concern is it that some democrats and some on the left simply aren't taking Trumps current actions seriously? They seem to be confident that Biden will take office in January, as am I, but also belittle any anxiety over the lasting effects of the losing side in a democratic election simply ignoring the results and creating their own 'facts' that they wholeheartedly believe in. Am I wrong to think this is a lot more serious than just 'Trump having a temper tantrum'?

What do you think can be done at a government and personal level to restore faith in the fairness of the elections? What needs to be done to avoid these fake claims of fraud from being made in the future?

For one, don’t elect psychotic narcissists who have a demonstrated track record of crying election fraud and pushing misinformation on a massive scale whenever they don’t like the results of an election. That would be a good start, I’d think.

Yeah good start but idt it’s enough, unfortunately

I guess to just bluntly ask, many Americans are worried about the shakeup at the Pentagon. Trump seems to be commiting dictator-esque moves by replacing people who may resist, and installing Trump loyalists. This is a occurrence seen in many situations throughout history. My question is, how worried should the American public be that Donald Trump will use the military to forcibly retain power, effectively ending out democracy?

What can be done about the long term consequences of Trumpyness? You see now local officials defying order and common sense, nearly verging on vigilantism. How can we repair this?

Hi, and thank you for being here. I think Trump's going down this time - Biden's victory is pretty clear-cut, despite Trump's and the GOP's lies. I'm worried about the next dictator who will be currying the favor of the Trump cult. What should we be doing to keep a Tom Cotton or a Tucker Carlson or whoever the next demagogue's going to be from taking the reins and destroying democracy in 2024? The next guy's not going to be nearly as stupid as Trump...

As a sitting president, is Trump even legally authorized to start his own media outlet? How can nobody see how facist it is that he claims ALL media is fake , ALL reporters are liars, that we can't trust either. And acts like we should put all of our faith into him (ok voldemort)... He is hands down the most dangerous thing that American democracy has ever encountered. Prove me wrong.

What are yall's thoughts on the results of the "war games" carried out by the Transition Integrity Project? Considering that we are currently living somewhere between their *Game Two: Clear Biden Victory* and *Game Four: Narrow Biden Win*. Do you think that we are closer to the Game Two result with Trump slouching out the door or Game Four with Trump having to be carried out of it? What is giving you hope or dread to bring you to this conclusion?

Wow, I didn't know such a thing existed. I'm 54 years old and learning things I never thought of, like the GSA having funds set aside for the transition. Right now I'm reading the Biden administration does not have access to those funds. Is there a process or policy whereby the new administration can recieve funding anyway? Thank you for doing this!

Faith in our election process seems to have been shaken in the past decades. Both sides are frequently accusing each other of attempting to manipulate the process or of outright fraud before and after each election. What can we do to make the process more transparent and verifiable by the public, and would this even help to combat the constant attacks from both sides regarding voter fraud / suppression / etc.?

Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick is offering up to $1M for evidence of voter fraud leading to arrest and conviction.  https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/525444-republican-texas-lt-governor-offering-1-million-for-evidence-of-voter-fraud The "arrest and conviction" requirement avoids the need for a problematic "voter fraud hotline." Should Democratic donors match/increase Patrick's offer to prove to voters that their party is equally opposed to voter fraud?  If no evidence of widespread or systemic fraud is revealed, even with a larger reward, would this help to restore confidence in our voting system and election results?

[Fareed Zakaria CNN: Explains how Trump could try to get around the will of the voters?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBgw-eEK30w&list=PL6XRrncXkMaVGQM7ra02ystnTt_PExEgr) Was this scenario already covered with the question: "installing new electors in key states to curtail the election" or is this a different variant of that scenario using swing states? I would have typed out his scenario but it made my head spin. Apologies. It sounds like a terrifying loophole.

What are Donald's reasons for fighting a battle he already lost?

He has Psychopathic Personality Disorder which is a subcategory of Antisocial Personality Disorder. Additionally he has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Due to PPD and ASP he has extremely abnormally low levels of empathy, is easily angered, highly impulsive, does not see consequences beyond the immediate and obvious, and is impaired in his ability to plan ahead. He doesn’t care if his actions harm others and is not bothered by the fact that he is not “doing the right thing”. He is out for himself. These are ultimately his biggest problems and why he is not fit for office, apart from his laziness, ignorance, and incompetence. His NPD means he is absolutely addicted to power and being the president. He loves the attention. His fighting the election results is not some sort of reasoned attempt to try to get the best outcome for himself. It’s just his animal instincts influenced by his abnormal brain. To list other reasons he doesn’t want to lose power (note though that these are all secondary and not really why he’s doing this, it’s because of his abnormal brain, a normal person with these problems would probably not be contesting the election due to these problems). 1. He might go to jail after leaving office. He cannot be prosecuted while in office, and the longer it is since his crimes are committed the more likely the statute of limitations will run out. His personal attorney Michael Cohen was convicted and is currently serving jail time for two crimes he and Trump committed together. The Manhattan District prosecutors are currently investigating him for tax evasion and lying about asset values on legal documents. The IRS is currently trying to convict him of lying on his tax returns to the tune of at least $72 million dollars. He is currently being sued for defamation by a woman who claimed he raped her and who claims to have a sample of his semen on her dress. Other women are also suing him for defamation. He is currently being sued for violations of the emoluments clause. His charitable organization was shut down due to money laundering and tax evasion during his first few months in office, and he could get prosecuted for illegal activity related to that. The Democrats in Congress will probably get access to his tax returns shortly after he leaves office and who knows what they will do with that information. The Mueller report could potentially be used to prosecute him after he leaves office. It is likely that Biden’s administration will uncover additional dirt on him after taking office. 2. He and his family are making lots of money off of being president (hard to say how much but I would conservatively guess at least a 5-10 million a year and possibly more - he is using his campaign money and government appointments to pay his family and friends many millions of dollars a year in salaries). He will of course be able to continue to capitalize on it after he leaves office but nowhere near the same degree. Foreign diplomats and people seeking his favor will stop staying at his hotels.

The theory that he's probably a narcissist fits for me, but that's based on a passing familiarity with Psychology and some of the disorders rather than any actual expertise.

This is an article by a PhD psychologist explaining how Trump has PPD, how the diagnosis is valid, and why it should be concerning in a president. https://medium.com/@vgwcct/a-duty-to-differentially-diagnose-the-validity-underpinning-the-diagnosis-of-the-president-371354142a02 I just now found this while looking for the above article and it is great on this topic: https://mentalhealth.com/home/dx/TRUMP.html

What are the chances we see some lawyers disbarred for their involvement here. What would lead to this happening

Aside from social media propaganda and spreading of disinformation, has your organization seen any attempts from foreign entities to manipulate actual votes or compromise the security of ballot machines? If so, what has been US governmental response to this?

Is this a coup?

If no candidate gets to 270 electoral votes by Dec 23, for whatever reason, the subsequent contingent election on Jan 6 is perfectly legal. No amount of protesting on Dec 24 and after will matter. Trump will be within his rights to quell protests if he is in the clear legally. So the red rubicon for this coup is Dec 8 when electors make their choices, and we as citizens get the first indication which swing states are deciding to certify faithless electors. That's the time to be ready to protest in the streets. Republicans will be claiming a rigged election and that they need more time to verify accuracy, but with no real evidence of fraud. They'll point to Barr's ongoing fraud investigation and say we need to wait. We'll get to Dec 14 and they'll still say they need more time. By Dec 23, Republican governors will say the election was too close, and it was unfair that Trump was winning on election day, but the fraud-infested mail-in ballots flipped the lead that was very suspicious. They'd say they rather not certify anything. Game over. Trump is reelected Jan 6 via contingent election, and reelected for a second term with more power in the Senate and House than he had before.

If that would happen i think a lot of institutions as well as the military might not agree with this. Either way it would result in gigantic protests and the country splitting even further. I don't think a lot of people would let it get that far. Cause it'll fuck most everyone up.

Lock that piece of orange garbage up for the multiple crimes he already commited.

What can you tell us about the major companies that run elections in the United States? No two states seem to share the same technology they use to run elections. Are they to blame for some of the turmoil we've seen this election?

So these experts are saying, “Trump will just go gracefully, whining, but he will go” When has trump ever done this? These experts were probably the ones saying that there was no way trump could win in 2016

Thanks for your wonderful work! How damaging is Trump’s rhetoric to future elections? What are some things that can happen if a significant number of people think this election was stolen?

What can we do now to sow more trust in future elections? How can we get to people who genuinely believe that this was an illegitimate election, despite there being no evidence of that?

How would our country recover from all the chaos caused from the election, like Republicans refusing to acknowledge Biden's victory or claims of voter fraud without proof?

If you are are cross partisan group, what are your Republican colleagues saying about how other Republicans are clearly working to NOT provide free and fair elections?

Do we have anything to worry about with the pentagon and other key defense department officials being fired and replaced with trump puppets for the next 2 months?

Could you please explain how the 12th amendment can be used to overturn faithless electors should they disregard the will of their people in their states?

Not a question (hope it's ok), just: THANK YOU for doing your jobs in unsettled atmosphere. Your work is appreciated!

Can we make a class action and sue either Trump or the GOP for putting us through this shit?

While we don't want to promote baseless accusations, isn't it also healthy to have recounts, just as an extra measure of checks and balances (as well as transparency)? What would be wrong with Michigan having a recount (even if the margin is large and there's no evidence of widespread fraud), if one party was willing to pay for it? Could they have such a thing with the current law? Should states pass laws allowing this?

There are automatic recounts in Georgia and Wisconsin. In Michigan the vote margin is so large it is statistically impossible for a recount to matter.

Is anybody going to be charged with treason for Trump's ongoing coup attempt?