Choose Democracy- Protect the Election

The WWFOR Regional Council approved a program to address the risks arising with the 2020 US elections. We join our colleagues at Choose Democracy, Protect the Results, and others in offering a plan of action to ensure that the elections are safe and fair for everyone and that legitimate results are upheld by nonviolent mass noncooperation in the face of a power grab. We urge several actions and provide several resources below. Click on the link below and we will help you get plugged in.

I’m interested and want to get involved!

The next several months involve 3 phases with significant consequences for the path forward. 

The first phase, “Winning the Election” for progressive values and candidates has resulted in an equivocal and still emerging outcome. The Presidency has been won by Biden/Harris with the most votes cast per capita in an election for about 100 years; but nearly half of all voters voted for Trump, in spite of all the misrepresentations, scandals, and regressive policies of the last 4 years.  In Washington State, Trump got more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016, including in King County. A runoff scheduled for Jan. 5, 2021 in Georgia for 2 Senate seats means the “winning the election” phase is still not finished.

Meanwhile, the second phase “Protecting the Election” involved pre-election contingency planning in case Trump followed through with his implied threats to refuse to leave office. Hold the Line, Choose Democracy.us and Protect the Results were complementary efforts that quickly built impressive forces prepared for action in case of a “coup”.  Hold the Line outlined 3 possible scenarios.

As predicted, Trump is using all 3 paths to challenge the election results through the courts and through Republican state legislatures and the electoral college. Institutional acknowledgement of the apparent result may not be resolved for months. Protect the Election efforts are continuing as this threat is monitored through the Jan. 20th inauguration.

The third phase, “Transition and the First 100 Days” includes the period from election to the inauguration and then the first 100 days of the new administration (Jan. 20 to April 30, 2021). The first 100 days is widely recognized as a new President’s best opportunity to chart a new course for the nation with a fresh political mandate. Franklin Roosevelt coined the term “first 100 days” during a July 24, 1933, radio address. 13 major laws were enacted during this period. Since then, the first 100 days of a presidential term has taken on symbolic significance, and the period is considered a benchmark to measure the early success of a president. Control of the Senate will, of course, have dramatic impact on what may be possible?

Now that Election Day is past, we are using the guide below on actions that might take place from November 4th to Inauguration Day. Click on the image below to be taken to this guide.


Individual Actions You Can Take

  • In thought, word, and deed, urge support for democracy and elections, not just your favorite candidate. Anchor your comments and actions in fairness, democratic process, and counting all the votes. 
  • Sign the pledge at Choose Democracy and sign up to get a text message when/if national organizers believe a “coup” is underway. Check the website “Coup O’ Meter” for recent events that signal an attempted coup or election interference is underway.
  • Check whether your candidates have promised to preserve our democracy and “count every vote” using the Common Cause tool: https://ourdemocracy2020.org/.
  • Monitor irregularities in the election process via groups such as the National Election Defense Coalition and the Carter Center.
  • Have patience. We won’t know the results overnight. Be clear with friends, family, and others that it’s worth the time to make sure every vote counts.
  • Call upon public officials, police/military, and media to insist that the election results be upheld. Use these pledges from Hold the Line. 
  • Prepare for nonviolent action in case Trump loses and refuses to leave office. 

2 Weeks ago…predicted.

It’s Nov. 4. Votes are still being counted in dozens of states and election results are not final. But Trump tweets that he won while claiming massive fraud from mail-in ballots. Trump loyalists prepare to ignore election results. What do folks do next?

Daniel Hunter, in waging nonviolence oct. 22, 2020 at: https://choosedemocracy.us/whats-the-game-plan-if-trump-really-does-try-to-steal-the-election-7-tactics-to-stop-a-coup/#.X6K0PmhKiUk

November 4th…it is happening.

With millions of votes yet to be counted, President Trump falsely asserted election fraud, pledged to mount a legal challenge to official state results and made a premature claim of victory in a bitterly contested race that may take days to resolve. In remarks at the White House early Wednesday, Trump claimed that he won several states that are still counting ballots, including Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Washington Post, November 4, 2020 at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2020/11/03/trump-biden-election-live-updates/

Get Trained

There are lots of online trainings happening around the country and in Washington State.  The easiest way to find out about trainings being offered is to go to the WWFOR Events calendar.

Form an Election Protection Group (EPG)

Click here for Steps in Forming an EPG

The Immediate Response: EPG Street Corner Rallies: “Count Every Vote”

Click here for further details

Further Resources

We encourage you to also connect with these resources. Listing of a resource does not imply FOR endorsement of all their content:

Links to Groups/Work Already Happening 

Groups Offering Trainings