“The Last Time You’ll Have to Vote”
On July 27 of this year, Donald Trump was the key speaker at a gathering of evangelical Christians. At one point in his speech, he urged his audience to vote in the upcoming election: “Get out and vote! Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore! Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore.” 
The media picked up that statement and I heard it watching the evening news a few days later. In the days following the speech speculation went wild as to what he meant by the statement. To one interviewer right after the speech, he said was talking about unifying the country, to another he said he was talking about the importance of faith and unifying the country through faith. To Fox News’ Laura Ingraham he said he was trying to get Christians out to vote because as a group Christians don’t vote as much as other demographic groups. He said they wouldn’t have to vote after this election because in his words “everything will be fixed, and we won’t need your vote anymore.” I wondered after reading these explanations that he might have also been alluding to the fact if he won the election, he wouldn’t be eligible to run anymore and therefore they would not be able to vote for him, and because he “fixed” things so well, all would be well. Ingraham mentioned that as a possible meaning, but he did not respond to that suggestion.
Given Trump’s tendency to make outlandish and fallacious statements, it is hard to know what he meant, and to know if he realized what he was talking about or was just going off on some ridiculous tangent. According to one of my neighbors who is a dedicated Trump supporter, when I asked what he makes of Trump’s outlandish statements, he said they are just like Rohr shock tests designed to get people’s attention, nothing more. Well, he sure got mine!
Venezuelan Election
Maria Machado & Edmundo Gonzalez
Nicolas Maduro
A few days after Trump’s speech the nation of Venezuela held its presidential election. Incumbent president Nicolas Maduro was running for a second 6-year term against a grassroots opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. Actually, Gonzalez was running as a stand-in for the actual opposition candidate, Maria Corina Machado, whom Maduro’s government had conveniently arrested and banned from running in the election. Despite that repression, the early voting results, especially in the poor neighborhoods, were running in favor of Gonzalez and it looked like there was going to be surprise upset by the opposition party. Maduro was shocked, immediately stopped the vote count, and a day later announced he had won a convincing victory with 90% of the vote. Independent poll watchers from around the world contested Maduro’s claim to victory. While the opposition held rallies and demonstrations demanding the actual voting tallies be made public, Maduro moved ahead as if he was the elected winner.
Could Trump Follow a Similar Strategy?
I thought of Trump’s claim that his audience would not have to vote again. I thought of his admiration for dictators like Hungary’s President Victor Orban whom he referenced in his debate with Kamala Harris. I thought of his threats to go after his political opponents with lawsuits and criminal charges. I thought of the January 6, 2021 invasion of the Capitol spurred on by Trump when the electoral votes from the last election were being counted. I thought of Project 2025, the 900-page conservative plan informing Trump’s campaign that among many other things, Trump could strengthen the Executive branch and weaponize or eliminate several cabinet positions. Given enough centralized power Trump could invalidate the results of any election that went against him. I wondered if, in his incoherent way, he was saying to potential voters, this would be the last time they need to vote because voting won’t be an option nor will it matter.
I’d like to believe that Trump’s answer to Laura Ingraham was all he meant by the statement. I’d like to believe what happened in Ecuador’s election could never happen here, but given the experience from the 2020 presidential election, it is clear Trump won’t accept defeat no matter what the count. He has made enough statements about not accepting defeat, his resistance to concede failure is almost certain. Just like he tried to get electors to “find enough votes” for him to win certain states, he will do so again. No matter what he meant in his July speech, his actions have already told us where his mind is going, and we must be prepared no matter what the final count is. Getting out to vote on or before November 5 is critical. Being ready to stand up for the results on November 6 and beyond is an equally important part of this year’s election.
A Resource for November 6
What seems clear from past experience and recurring statements by Trump and some of his supporters, election day will not be the end of this long up-and-down election season. If Kamala wins, he will contest it. If he wins, he may move forward in frightening ways. To help us think through the various scenarios that could occur after the results of the election, veteran political organizer Daniel Hunter and others have developed a website to guide our thinking entitled What if Trump Wins. The website outlines a variety of things that could happen if Kamala wins and another set of actions that could happen if Trump wins. You are asked to consider the scenario and choose how you will respond.
For instance, under the section assuming Kamala wins the election, we find this passage:
You scroll through the news wondering if Trump will concede. He does not. He puts on social media, “KAMALA IS AN ILLEGAL CANDIDATE! EVERYONE knows I won by the biggest margin ever! FIGHT TO SAVE OUR COUNTRY! STOP THE STEAL!” Days later, a few ballot-counting stations engaged in long-shot recounts are surrounded by angry mobs of Trump supporters. In Philadelphia and Madison, unexploded pipe bombs are found.
This scenario is not some whimsical fancy. It is based on actual things said and done in 2020. Then, you are presented a series of options on how to respond.
There is a lull during the holiday season. What do you do?
Organize protests in the streets?
Train to be ready to take action if something happens?
Gather friends to prepare to defend each other.
Have quiet holidays and try to not think about it?
Each option listed leads to specific consequences and off you go to explore what might be your best response. While the website is set up like a game of sorts, unlike most games, this one is dealing with real actions and real consequences.
The people of Venezuela were not surprised by what Maduro did with the election. With international support, they took to the streets on the day of Maduro’s announcement. Their battle continues. So does ours. Let us not be caught by surprise on November 6; check out
Let’s be ready.