Kerby Anderson

Today is Election Day, and two important questions might or might not be resolved tonight. The first question is: Who will win the election? Given the number of mail-in ballots still to count, we might not know. The second question is: How peaceful will be our transition of power? In the past we have had a few bumps in the road.

Back in 1960, there were questions about whether John F. Kennedy won the presidency fairly. Rumors quickly spread that voting in Illinois and Texas had been manipulated. Perhaps the narrow margin of victory (112,000 votes) indicated that the vote total should be challenged. Richard Nixon conceded the election because he said, “our country cannot afford the agony of a constitutional crisis.”

In 2000, George W. Bush led Al Gore in Florida after the first results were tallied. Because the vote was so close, a statewide recount was implemented. The machine count was even closer, so a legal battle developed. Those of you who are older probably remember the debate over the “hanging chads.” The case finally reached the Supreme Court that ruled the hand recounts unconstitutional and essentially declared Bush the winner. Al Gore then conceded by saying, “While I strongly disagree with the Court’s decision, I accept it.”

What about this election? President Donald Trump has made it clear that he might not concede the election if it is close or if there are voting irregularities. Former Vice President Joe Biden has been encouraged not to concede the election tonight. Given the uncertainty, the decision by both candidates is probably reasonable.

If one candidate wins the election in a landslide, then none of these concerns, cited many weeks ago, will actually matter. But if the election is close or the votes in some battleground states are questioned, the election could go into overtime. We will know in a few hours.