Federal Elections Commission (FEC) Commissioner Ellen Weintraub is warning that the results of the election will probably not likely be known on election day.
During an appearance on CNN on Monday, Weintraub said, “Let me just tell everybody, we’re all going to need to take a deep breath and be patient this year because there’s a substantial chance we are not going to know on election night what the results are.”
She said that it is possible that it could take a while for many of the down-ballot races to be decided due to an expected surge in the number of votes cast by mail.
“If it takes a little bit longer to count all the votes accurately, that’s what we need to do in order to ensure that everyone’s vote counts,” she added.
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There’s “a substantial chance” that the results won’t be out on election night, says Federal Election Commission’s Ellen Weintraub. “If it takes a little bit longer to count all the votes accurately, that’s what we need to do in order to ensure that everyone’s vote counts.” pic.twitter.com/mNdwuzjvyt
— CNN This Morning with Audie Cornish (@CNNThisMorning) August 10, 2020
President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that expanding mail-in voting ahead of the election would open the door for fraud that could swing the election — despite no evidence of widespread fraud — as IJR reported.
Weintraub said the country can “absolutely” hold an “honest election” that features widespread mail-in voting. She noted that mail-in voting has been around since the Civil War, and many states have “robust mail-in voting systems already in place.”
She also noted that if voters are concerned about mailing their ballots back, they can drop them off in secure drop boxes.
Weintraub went on to say that it appears that many Americans across the country are “demanding” access to mail-in voting. She also cited the increase in votes cast by mail in Kentucky’s primary elections this year to show that even in more conservative states there is an increased demand for mail-in voting.
When asked if most states are prepared to handle the expected surge in mail-in voting, Weintraub said, “I think what we need to do is get more resources to the states. This is critically important, and it has to happen now.”
She cited a study from the Brennan Center for Justice that estimated that states and localities will have an extra $4 billion in costs in this year’s election.
“So far, Congress has allocated $400 million. They really need to allocate more money now. I’m very concerned about this, and that is the number one priority right now,” she added.
