The 2020 Presidential election is unlike any other in our lifetimes, both because of the pandemic, and the tense polarization of the country.
More than 90 million people have voted early in this election, many by mail, and this shift will cause many votes to be counted AFTER Election Night.
By reporting real-time results on Election Night, Nov. 3, viewers will be given an incomplete picture of the electoral reality, which could lead to civil unrest.
Voters will go to bed thinking one candidate won, and days later could potentially get a different result.
Education is key here, and that's the role of the news media -- to inform (over and over if needed) to ensure people know that Election Night isn't going to produce a clear cut winner this year. There are plenty of articles and analyses that support this.
Trump campaign officials have already talked about how the Democrats will try to "steal the election" by "adding more votes" after Election Night. It's not adding more votes. It's counting ALL votes.
The truth is, the votes on Election Night will sway Republican, while the mail-in votes being counted throughout the week will sway Democrat. The campaigns know this.
The election isn't over until every legitimate vote is counted -- and there are a lot of reasons why a limited number of humans can't count every vote on Nov. 3.
The news networks need to hold off on reporting specific election numbers on Election Night, waiting instead until we have a fuller picture, so this can be a peaceful democratic process. We don't want officials on either side putting serious doubt in the eyes of the nation when it comes to our elections.
News media need to recognize the responsibility they have to the viewers, rather than raking in monetary gain on Election Night for sensationalism that could ultimately lead to serious strife in this country moving forward.
