Democracy 1.0 (or five remarkable things about the 2020 US Elections)

Yes, like millions across the world, I was glued to my TV from November 4^th until finally, CNN called the winner of the hotly contested electoral battle of 2020. Like everything about this year, the Presidential elections were unlike any other. For one, there was were just one two significant debates between the Presidential candidates and the debate for the VP’s job was hijacked by a fly. And, of course, Kamala Harris reminding the current VP Mike Pence that she was speaking.

But as I started out as a student of politics and an aspiring psephologist who got waylaid by the political economy of development, I couldn’t help but notice how this election was different from all the others that have preceded it. Until now, I thought the 2016 election that brought Trump in was remarkable. But this one wins by a long shot. Here’s why:

1. 1. Mail in ballots
2. People voting early and people voting by mail, driven largely by concerns of keeping distance due to the pandemic, resulted in historic numbers of people not voting on election day. More people – over 100 million – than ever before voted early. Of these, nearly two-thirds or 64 million voted by mail. To me, this was the big game changer. Will this be seen again in 2024? I’m certain it will be. Will this model be replicated elsewhere? I guess so. In fact, I see this as a reliable way of keeping the Indian Posts and Telegraph Service alive! Currently, only 2.3 million of India’s 600 million eligible voters vote by mail. (This article talks about how the scope of vote by mail has been expanded in India, but there is still a long way to go)

1. 2. It takes forever to count
2. I found it hard to understand why this is the case. Returning officers checking and cross-checking details filled in by the voter notwithstanding, a sample ballot that I found on the internet shows how complicated it can be to make so many choices. This article answers many questions that I had about counting.

1. 3. Lessons in voter mobilisation
2. Van Jones said this repeatedly as the panel analysed the results that came trickling in: black voters had been mobilised like never before to give a historic mandate. The overwhelmingly white panel glossed over it, but there is no denying the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement and tireless mobilisation of minority groups before and following the incident had on the election. 30 million black people voted this time and influenced urban votes in favour of the Democratic party. This article tells you more about how black people vote. I have seen first-hand, excellent mobilisation in Indian states of Bihar and Bengal, mostly by left-leaning parties, and watching this election reminded me of the tireless work at the grassroots to address disenfranchisement.
4. 4. Women can truly vote en bloc
5. This election belonged to women. Stacey Abrams in Georgia and several grassroots mobilisers enrolled voters, male and female, months prior to the election. And Kamala Harris, the woman of colour of mixed heritage who exemplifies the American Dream that anything is possible. This article talks about how Latinas were mobilised ahead of the elections. I am tempted to wonder if women will ever form such a powerful voting bloc in India (not least because political agendas are seldom shaped by women’s needs) and realise that caste and class (among many other inter-related issues) stand in the way.
7. 5. The Trump who won’t concede
8. Although the American people have won my respect in booting out a wannabe fascist dictator, for such leaders do come to power democratically but are seldom ousted by democratic means, the current impasse where Trump refuses to concede on unfounded allegations of voter fraud go on to show that the threat of authoritarianism looms over even mature democracies. That Biden’s victory was not acknowledged by a few leaders, tells us how Trump’s behaviour encourages a certain type of leader. And then there is this press conference by the US Secretary of State threatening the coup that every tinpot would dream of when things don’t go their way. Having worked in a few edgy Central Asian countries run by self-appointed Presidents for life, this is a path few would knowingly wish to tread.

PS: The strikethroughs are intentional