The United States elections will leave the country divided and fearful of violence. usa elections

The United States will leave the elections with a deep political divide and fear of incidents of election-related violence. A presidential campaign filled with personal attacks and ineptitudes has opened wounds that will take time to heal, whether the next occupant of the White House is Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. Current President Joe Biden knows this very well. He arrived at the Oval Office aiming to turn the page on Trumpism and serve as a unifier, but he ended his tenure with the country as polarized as it was when he began.

Especially in the last phase, the attitude of both the candidates has been different. Kamala Harris has tried to reach out to independent voters and moderate Republicans. He has promised to be “a president for all Americans.” She has also declared that she does not consider her political rivals as enemies and that she would give them “a seat at the table” if elected.

Trump, on the other hand, has not given up his violent, xenophobic and confrontational rhetoric. At his rallies he has painted an apocalyptic picture of a “destroyed” country on the brink of economic “recession” – which does not correspond to reality at all. He continues to talk about “criminal immigrants” and send the message that his political rivals are “enemies within”, who are even more dangerous than those from abroad. His speech has become more harsh and full of insults. He has talked about pointing guns in Republican Liz Cheney’s face or said he doesn’t care if journalists are shot. On Sunday he said he should not have left the White House after the 2020 election, which he falsely claimed he had won.

This Tuesday, Harris gave a few radio interviews to make sure “everyone knows the power of their voice through their vote.” “I think this is a turning point in terms of having two very different visions about the future of our country,” he said. A registered Democratic candidate in California had already voted by mail before the election date.

Trump, a lover of hyperbole, wrote on his social networks that it was “the most important day in American history.” The Republican then went to vote in person with his wife Melania Trump at an election center in West Palm Beach (Florida), where he gave statements to the press with a somewhat hoarse voice after a marathon of rallies in recent days. “I feel very confident. I hear we’re doing pretty well everywhere else,” he said. “It is not difficult, but it will take a lot of time to prove,” he said.

Trump is lying to his followers, telling them he has a big lead in the polls and making victory seem inevitable while increasing the threat of election fraud, creating a similar breeding ground for the attack on the Capitol. The fear of violence breaking out after the elections is clear. Activists have beefed up security at the Naval Observatory, the vice president’s official residence, Howard University, where she will await the results, and around the Capitol in Washington. Additional security measures have also been taken at election centres. Many traders across the country have covered the windows of their shops with wooden planks fearing a fight.

The AP/NORC poll shows that 42% of registered voters are very concerned about the possibility of efforts to overturn the election results through violence and 34% are somewhat concerned. If asked whether there has been an increase in violence against election workers and political figures, the figures are higher.

This Tuesday, when Trump was going to vote, he was asked whether he would ask his supporters not to be violent. “My followers are not violent people. I don’t need to tell you this. And I certainly don’t want violence. Despite the January 6, 2021 precedent, he said, “They’re great people.”

Beyond this fear, citizens are also concerned about nonviolent attempts to influence election results. 67% of registered voters are at least somewhat concerned that election officials will try to block the certification of the results, and a third of them are very concerned or extremely concerned. Similarly, 73% are somewhat concerned about efforts to overturn the results using the legal system, including 38% who are very or extremely concerned.

No one is able to guess the duration of the investigation. In 2020, Biden could not claim victory until Saturday, four days after the election, although by then Trump had declared himself the winner without any basis. The Vice President had assured two weeks ago that the government was prepared to claim victory again before the investigation was completed. “We will deal with election night and the days following, and we have the resources, the experience and the focus to do that,” he said.

This Tuesday, Trump was asked if he was considering a scenario in which he would not declare himself the winner on election night and he avoided answering: “I don’t know what would happen in terms of declaring victory.” Going to do.” The former president, who also visited his campaign headquarters, continued to express suspicions of fraud, but said: “If this is a fair election, I will be the first to recognize it.” Republicans continue not to accept their defeat in the 2020 elections.

In the dysfunctional US voting and counting system, for which each state has its own rules, long lines formed to vote this Tuesday. This is even if Americans have accepted early voting. There are more than 85 million people who went to vote in person or received their vote by mail before the official date. That figure may still increase somewhat with postal votes, but it will not surpass the record of 101.5 million set in 2020, amid the pandemic. That year, a total of 155 million voters ultimately cast their ballots, the highest participation rate (67%) and the largest number of votes cast in recent American history. This is the obstacle that must be overcome.

Along with the president, this Tuesday’s elections serve to renew the 435 members of the House of Representatives, who serve two-year terms, and a third of the 100 senators, who serve their six-year terms. Republicans care about control of the Senate because the map of seats up for renewal is in their favor, while Democrats want to hold the lower chamber. A divided Congress, with one House in each party’s hands, would complicate governance and risk legislative paralysis. The investigation, especially the House of Representatives investigation, could take even longer than a presidential election, perhaps by weeks.