We are eleven days away from millions of Americans casting their votes in an election the stakes of which can hardly be overstated. Much has already been said about the choice between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, so we avoid repeating it here. The simplest way to frame it is this: Trump has promised to dismantle many of the norms and institutions of the American political system, vowed to deport millions of people, and to erect a dictatorship on his first day in office. We believe we should take him seriously. Harris, on the other hand, has made several moderate policy promises, but most importantly, she has pledged not to do what Trump intends to do. The outcome of this election, both for the presidency and control of Congress, will affect millions of lives – within the U.S. and beyond.
With three members of our team currently based in New York, Verfassungsblog will provide a series of editorials on the election. We will bring on-the-ground reporting and analysis of the issues defining this election and, crucially, its presumably tumultuous aftermath.
The Republican Party, along with allied organizations such as ‘True the Vote’, the particularly ghoulish ‘America First Policy Institute’ or the ‘Heritage Foundation,’ has put unprecedented effort into undermining the integrity of this election. Simultaneously, countless Democratic and non-partisan civil society groups have been preparing responses to scenarios already impacting election officials, state courts, and voters.
We will therefore speak with those working on the front lines to combat rogue actors attempting to disrupt vote counting and certification, track efforts to curb the wildfire of misinformation, consult with legal academics to contextualize all the spectacle, and offer our own legal perspective as battles flare up in state election boards, courts, and Congress in the lead-up to the fateful date of January 6, 2025, when final certification is due.