By Russ Feingold and Reid Ribble
In Wisconsin, we’re familiar with close calls.
Our statewide contests tend to come down to the wire on election night, creating uncertainty for candidates and voters alike. At the same time, in every election we’ve had, no matter how close, a victor has eventually been declared. And our trust in the electoral process has been reaffirmed.
Americans across the country now share a feeling of uncertainty that Wisconsinites know well. Our state has just been called for Vice President Joe Biden, and President Donald Trump’s campaign has requested a recount. Meanwhile, nationally, a winner has yet to be declared in one of the most contentious presidential elections of our lifetime.
But take it from us, two people who have run for office in Wisconsin, one of the country’s most unpredictable swing states: The electoral process is working.
We may be members of different political parties, but we share a deep devotion to America’s democratic principles. Today, we are uniting to urge candidates and voters to be patient and trust the process — no matter how long it takes. We urge politicians and political operatives to show respect for a system that has proven itself faithful to our republic for generations. There should be no attempts to denigrate or invalidate the legitimate and transparent counting, or recounting, of ballots.
In any election, the primary objective is to obtain a full and accurate vote count. This is especially important in an election year as unprecedented as 2020, in which a historic number of Americans exercised their right to vote. To be clear, record-high turnout is a sign of a healthy democracy. The fact that more voters had more ways than ever before to cast their ballots in our elections has helped ensure that more Americans have a say in their outcomes.
Still, the COVID-19 pandemic has created unforeseen challenges for our electoral system. Absentee voting, a practice as old as America itself, has never been done at the scale of this year’s election. Our system, and the officials overseeing it, are adjusting to this shift in real time. For instance, in Wisconsin, the rules dictating the vote-counting process were still being finalized as recently as last week. Eight days before the election, the Supreme Court overturned a federal judge’s ruling that extended the deadline for counting mail-in ballots in Wisconsin. That ruling had a direct impact on the way our ballots were counted.
Still, we have full faith in the ability of our election officials to get the job done. In precincts across the country, trained professionals are meticulously tabulating votes. These election officials are members of our communities; they’re our neighbors and friends. They’re not pulling the strings for any one candidate or party — they’re doing everything in their power to abide by the system of laws established under the Constitution. They are the guardians of our democracy. However, they cannot defend it alone.
As Americans, the most important thing we can do to preserve the integrity of our democracy at this moment is simple: Be calm, trust the process and demand that every lawful vote is counted.
More than twice as many Wisconsinites voted by mail in this election than did in 2016. Nationwide, more than 65 million Americans voted by mail. Counting every one of these votes is a Herculean undertaking. It’s going to take time, and our patience will serve as a much-needed helping hand to the members of our communities leading the process.
Being patient sounds easy, but it might not feel like it. We get it. Combined, the two of us have run for office in Wisconsin more than 10 times. We know patience can run in short supply during an election. But it always pays off. No matter how close a race, our officials have always declared a winner. Back in 1968, a Wisconsin assemblyman lost his bid for reelection by a single vote in one of the closest races in American history. Once every vote was counted, and re-counted in that case, the challenger was welcomed into the Legislature with open arms by both Democrats and Republicans — and democracy kept working.
In due time, every vote cast in this election will be tallied. The decision of Wisconsin voters, and the American people, will be clear. It may take days, it may take more than a week, but victors up and down the ballot will be declared. And in January, a peaceful transfer of power will take place.
We understand that this moment of uncertainty may feel precarious. But it’s a moment where the strength and resilience of our democracy is most evident. Our votes are being counted, and the people counting them have the best interests of our nation at heart. We can count on them.
We’re familiar with close calls in Wisconsin, and we know we can trust the process.
Democrat Russ Feingold is a former U.S. senator from Wisconsin and president of the American Constitution Society. Republican Reid Ribble is a former congressman who represented Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District. Both are members of the bipartisan National Council on Election Integrity.
