Once again, Election Night might not give Americans the answers they’re waiting for, as Democrats seem to be paving the way for weeks of ballot counting.
Kamala Harris seems ready to exploit this uncertainty, warning that her “teams of experts” are preparing for a scenario where President Donald Trump declares victory early, well before every last mail-in ballot is counted.
In Pennsylvania, Secretary of State Al Schmidt has essentially admitted that his state is woefully unprepared. According to Schmidt, Pennsylvania will once again take days, if not weeks, to count ballots due to outdated laws preventing officials from processing mail-in ballots until Election Day itself.
Meanwhile, in Georgia, the controversial Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is extending the timeline, announcing that overseas ballots won’t be fully collected until three days after the election.
Arizona is now calling for “patience” that could stretch for nearly two weeks, according to election officials in Maricopa County, Phoenix.
If this all sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a replay of 2020—just with more delays, more excuses, and more opportunities for questionable late-night ballot dumps.
In an NBC interview, Harris sounded the alarm, saying she’s prepared for the possibility that Trump will declare victory before all the votes are counted.
Hallie Jackson: We are sitting here two weeks away from election night. Last election, the former President came out on election night and declared victory before all the votes were counted. What is your plan if he does that again in two weeks?
Kamala Harris: Well, let me say this. We’ve got two weeks to go, and I’m very much grounded in the present in terms of the task at hand. We will deal with election night and the days after as they come, and we have the resources, the expertise, and the focus on that as well.
Hallie Jackson: So your team is ready to go? Is that what you’re saying? Are you thinking about that as a possibility?
Kamala Harris: Of course. This is a person, Donald Trump, who tried to undo a free and fair election, who still denies the will of the people, who incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol, and 140 law enforcement officers were attacked. Some were killed. This is a serious matter. The American people are, at this point, two weeks out, being presented with a very, very serious decision about what will be the future of our country.
And it includes whether we are a country that values a president who respects their duty to uphold the Constitution of the United States,” she said. “Donald Trump has said he would terminate the Constitution of the United States. The American people are being presented with a choice here about whether we want a president who understands that America must stand strong as a leader around the globe or an individual in Donald Trump who openly admires dictators.