HARTFORD, Conn. -- The results in the presidential election will be significantly delayed, and experts say there are multiple scenarios in which the election could end up in the courts or in the U.S. House of Representatives.

As a result of the pandemic, tens of millions of Americans have chosen to vote by mail, which will slow the state-by-state count.

So Professor Capri Cafaro, executive in residence and adjunct lecturer in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at American University, believes immediate results are unlikely.

"I think people can expect not just an election night but an election week," Cafaro predicts, "and if things get close, I guess that's where the real issues begin."

Allegations of fraud and protracted recounts could wind up at the U.S. Supreme Court, which has only eight justices following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Republicans are vowing to confirm President Donald Trump's nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, as soon as possible.

If there is a tie in the Electoral College, the law sends the decision to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Cafaro said this could favor Trump, even though Democrats control the House. That's because each state delegation only gets one vote, and more states are currently controlled by Republicans than Democrats.

As Cafaro explained it, "The thing is, I believe this would be after the next Congress is sworn in, so Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi is putting a lot of pressure trying to pick up seats for that purpose as well, all across the country."

The Electoral College votes on Dec. 14.

A recent article in The Atlantic alleges the Trump campaign has discussed with Pennsylvania Republican Party leaders the possibility of declaring the election a fraud, bypassing the results and encouraging state legislatures in Republican-controlled states to appoint their own slates of electors.

The U.S. Constitution allows states wide latitude to circumvent the usual process. But according to Cafaro, this is highly unlikely -- because the backlash would be huge.

"Somehow there would have to be some sort of a mutiny to say, 'We refuse to allow the Democratic electors for Joe Biden to come into the chamber and sign the book.' I mean, I guess -- but that's really far-fetched," she added.

Trump also has warned that, in his view, the huge number of mail-in ballots raises the risk of fraud. However, past all-mail elections have shown very few cases of people committing felony mail fraud by altering or destroying ballots.


Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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North Dakota's June 11 primary is inching closer and those running for legislative seats are trying to win over voters, including Native American candidates who are part of a movement energized by newly drawn political boundaries.

The organization North Dakota Native Vote said there are seven candidates with Indigenous roots seeking spots in the Legislature. Most are running in District 9, which was recently updated to reflect representation needs for two Native American tribes.

Natasha Gourd, a board member of North Dakota Native Vote, described them as a good mixture of candidates coming from both reservations in the area, with some running as Democrats and others as Republicans.

"We've seen an upturn in participation and just getting leadership development through Native candidates," Gourd observed.

The election wave comes after the state saw 10 Native candidates in legislative races two years ago. For her group, Gourd acknowledged the boost can be tricky because they cannot endorse everyone running. But she noted having greater assurances the areas will be represented by people from their community -- no matter if they have a different stance on certain issues -- is still a positive.

Gourd added trying to build on the momentum is also important for off-reservation districts.

"What they do at the state level, regardless of Native American people in North Dakota (being part of) federally recognized tribes, it does affect us," Gourd pointed out. "Most Natives in North Dakota do live off the reservation, so it does affect our populations."

Gourd stressed they need more Native voices at the state level speaking out about priorities within education, the housing crisis, energy issues and health care. She hopes the positive trends they're seeing inspire more civic participation among other racial and ethnic groups trying to get a seat at the policy table in North Dakota.

A new poll finds a near 20-year low in the number of voters who say they have a high interest in the 2024 election, with a majority saying they hold negative views of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. A group of Arizona elections officials and experts recently gathered to discuss the growing discontent with the state's current electoral landscape.

Stephen Richer, Maricopa County Recorder, said that if politicians are what he calls "single-minded seekers of re-election," he contends the state should change the political incentive structure.

"And if those incentives will change, then maybe we will be talking about more things in the Arizona Voter's Agenda and less things that are currently right now incentivized by what I still believe to be a minority, but a very passionate, very loud, and a minority that is definitely committed to acting on those issues," he said.

Richer added it is important to remember that despite Independent and unaffiliated voters being able to participate in the July 30th statewide primary, they were excluded from the state's March Presidential Preference Election, and that has caught the eye of some in the state. The bipartisan group Make Elections Fair Arizona is pushing for open primaries, but proponents of closed primaries believe they're crucial to maintaining the integrity of party ideals.

Amanda Burke, executive vice president with the non-partisan, nonprofit organization Center for the Future of Arizona, said more than half of unaffiliated voters do not feel they have leaders or candidates running who speak to the issues and causes they care about. She contends that then translates to who decides to show up at the ballot box and vote, and encourages Arizonans to imagine a different primary system if they want different outcomes.

"Otherwise we are going to continue to have some more outcomes in terms of people who are incentivized to speak to a small percentage of their base on either side who are really not representative of the larger views," she explained.

The Grand Canyon State allows voter-initiated amendments to the state constitution, but the Arizona Require Partisan Primary Elections Amendment would add the state's current primary practice to the state constitution, prohibiting future changes without another constitutional amendment. Make Elections Fair Arizona is still collecting signatures to get its measure on the November ballot.


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Wisconsin women have made progress in closing gaps when it comes to being elected to public office.

But some voices worry the movement might slow down as candidates see increasing levels of threats and harassment.

The Brennan Center for Justice recently issued findings that detail the threatening behavior those in the political arena are experiencing now.

Women were three to four times as likely as men to experience abuse targeting their gender.

Erin Vilardi, CEO and founder of the advocacy and assistance group Vote Run Lead, said this creates more unfairness in areas such as resource planning for a campaign.

"We see women candidates and incumbents right now having to pay for security," said Vilardi, "having to put in their budgets, in their campaign funds, in their line-items for their campaigns a security detail."

And Vilardi said because of the worsening climate, the threats are extending to almost all other candidates, including conservative white men.

She and other researchers called on party leaders to strongly condemn political violence. They also recommend that each state implement stronger protection for officeholders.

Vilardi said it's not just women candidates and incumbents having to deal with this behavior. Women working as top aides and political journalists are subject to more hateful rhetoric these days.

"This is something that permeates women in politics," said Vilardi, "not just for the folks that are stepping up to lead but for the ecosystem of women around them."

And if more women decide not to run or seek re-election as a result, Vilardi said this means there will be fewer opportunities for gender equality in leadership positions in state legislatures and Congress.

She urged constituents to send messages of support to women officeholders as they weigh these challenges and their political futures.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.



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