It is no secret that the country is distinctly divided between partisan lines, and the upcoming 2020 presidential election does little to diffuse political tensions. Dangerous rhetoric is taking hold of the nation, past precedents regarding the way in which to run the country are being pushed aside, and election results are already being challenged. Frankly, American democracy is in danger, and voting President Donald J. Trump out of office is the only way to save it.
On September 18, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87 from her long battle with pancreatic cancer, and Trump has said he will announce her prospective replacement just over a week after her passing, 41 days before the presidential election. This controversial announcement has been all but guaranteed to become a reality after Senator Mitt Romney stated he supports the President in appointing a new justice to the Court, thus leading to an estimated 51 senators voting in favor of the president’s appointment.
If Trump is given the opportunity to appoint another justice, which will be his third appointment and most likely another woman, the precedent that bars a president from appointing a justice during an election year, established after former President Obama was denied from doing so following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016, will be completely thrown out the window. The highest court in the land, a supposedly impartial entity, is now being subjected to partisan debate and inconsistencies. When the means of justice are politicized and past precedents are pushed aside, justice itself becomes obsolete.
Not only are precedents of Court appointments being ignored, but there is concern that the transition of power following the outcome of the presidential election could be anything but smooth if former Vice President Joe Biden is elected. For months, Trump has initiated attacks on mail-in ballots during a year in which more people than ever before are expected to vote by mail. The seeds of doubt have been sowed by Trump, despite no evidence of wide-spread voter fraud by mail in any past election, which will likely lead to severe partisan conflict.
Because there are so many people expected to vote by mail, it is impossible to know the results of the election on November 3, but Trump will likely appear to be winning on the morning of November 4 due to the projections that more Democrats will vote by mail, while Republicans are more likely to vote in person. Trump has created an environment in which Biden’s election will be deemed completely illegitimate by Trump’s base, thus leading to even further polarization of the country.
As if these unsubstantiated claims failed to cause enough concern about what will happen in the days following November 3, Trump has now refused twice to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if Biden is elected to office. Further citing nonexistent voter fraud, Trump said he is “going to have to see what happens.” Peacefully transitioning the power of the presidency to the next elected individual is a key tenet of American democracy, and if Trump refuses to uphold this long standing tradition and completely ignore the decision of the people, the United States will fall into a state of dictatorship.
As a nation, we are on the eve of destruction. Despite partisan lines, moral high grounds, and stark polarization, I hope our country votes to save democracy on November 3.