A pandemic. Battles over millions of mailed-in ballots. The Supreme Court deciding an Electoral College dispute. The accelerated undoing of democratic norms. Dozens of legal battles over election administration and voting rights. Each would be enough to create unprecedented challenges to an election. But all are present this year, positioning Election Day 2020 and the days after to face challenges rarely as intense before. As Nov. 3 approaches, voters, government officials, candidates and the media may become overwhelmed by the many storylines, the shifting landscape and the potential outcomes. Preparation needs to start now.
The Fulcrum convened an expert panel to discuss these issues and more on June 9. Editor-in-Chief David Hawkings moderated the webinar, which also included:
- Bryan Monroe, associate professor of practice at Temple University's Klein College of Media and Communication. Before joining Temple, Bryan was editor of CNNPolitics and Washington opinion editor for CNN; president of the National Association of Black Journalists; and editor-in-chief of Ebony & Jet magazines.
- Trevor Potter, president of the Campaign Legal Center. Trevor is a past chairman of the Federal Election Commission and was general counsel to John McCain's 2000 and 2008 presidential campaigns.
What Is It To You?
As part of a collaboration between The Fulcrum's NextGen initiative and Made By Us, The Fulcrum is publishing Letters to America, a series created through the Youth250 project that invites Gen Z to reflect on the nation’s past, present, and future as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary.
Dear America,
Oftentimes, we find ourselves at the crossroads of me or we. This presents the age-old question that has been asked countless times: What is it to you?
It is indisputable that, as a result of the pandemic, we have become more individualistic as a society. We should be a country where there are different understandings, but a shared identity of compassion and acceptance of differences. While the age-old question is individualistic, perhaps we can extend it to be collective.
What is it to you when your neighbor is hurting and suffering under the weight of life? What is it to you when the government implicates civil rights and freedoms, irrespective of political party? What is it to you when policies negatively impact the least among us?
As we celebrate America's 250th anniversary, let us look back as we look forward. It is only when we ask questions in the collective on how we act as human beings and how the government asserts power that we rise to be the shining city on the hill.
The following is my request: check on one another, even amid troubling times across multiple areas of society. Together, we can overcome our own weaknesses, character flaws, and blind spots, so that the sun may never stop shining over our nation, our country, and our home.
Carlos David Gamez, 23, Lakeland, FL