The 2020 presidential election will go down in history as perhaps the most controversial in U.S. history – not because it actually was, based on the facts presented in court, but because some people didn’t like the result. Such is electoral life nowadays.
At times during the campaign, former President Donald Trump tossed out the idea of delaying the election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hogwash, said his opponents, that would be asinine, unconstitutional and undemocratic.
Yet, the Democratic-controlled N.C. Board of Elections just last week recommended moving all of this year’s municipal elections to 2022 and delaying the 2022 primary elections from March until May. Now it’s the Republicans’ turn to say hogwash.
The dilemma is because the U.S. Census Bureau said results this year would be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which means new population estimates may not be available in time for the elections. However, once you start down this road, where does it end? Will future elections be postponed due to gas shortages, inclement weather or because the supervisor is on vacation?
“It causes me some heartburn to talk about making such a sweeping change,” board member Stacy Eggers told Carolina Journal News Service. Delaying any elections would cause everyone else heartburn, too.
If the census results aren’t available in time, it would be unfortunate to have to conduct next year’s elections using the same districts, since there is way too much gerrymandering across the state. However, the outrage and conspiracy theories that would erupt from delaying any vote would be far worse for democracy in North Carolina.