President Donald Trump has all but outright waged war against the election process, particularly in key battleground states where the race between the candidates is tightening. In a year where more Americans have voted than at any point in history, various groups are contending with how best to protect the process as the president continues to cast doubt.
Among those fighting for the counting to continue is Robin Carnahan, former Democratic Missouri Secretary of State and current member of the National Council on Election Integrity. As the president sends conflicting messages about wanting to stop the count and keep it alive in different states, Carnhan said the president should respect the current process.
"Everybody's got a role in elections. Candidates do the campaigning, and voters do the voting, and election officials do the counting and they announce the results. That's the normal process, and that's what we're going through," she told Cheddar.
The National Council on Election Integrity is made up of former government and political leaders that, according to Carnahan, "want to ensure the legitimacy of our elections." The group has created the 'Count Every Vote' campaign that calls on people to use their power and demand that every vote be tabulated.
With ballots continuing to be tallied after a record-breaking election turnout alongside a record number of mail-in ballots due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the idea that the vote-by-mail process could be the new norm going forward is one that the former Missouri Secretary of State said is best for the country.
"Folks who've had the convenience of being able to vote-by-mail are going to want to have that going forward," Carnahan said.
While some people hold reservations about the validity of the counting process and whether or not fraud can be committed, Carnahan said counting rooms being monitored by both Republicans and Democrats should provide some comfort about the process not being tainted.
