Trump’s victory is a call to action for those who value our system of checks and balances.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  
Brennan Center for Justice The Briefing
Join us tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET for a live virtual event with Brennan Center experts for a discussion of what happened on Election Day and what could be next. RSVP HERE
I want to share with you a few thoughts about the election. The election was safe and secure. The system was strengthened immeasurably since 2020, with election officials and law enforcement pulling together. Voting, overwhelmingly, proceeded without incident.
The American people chose national elected leaders who have made clear their authoritarian intentions — who have a fearful, divisive vision of the country, one filled with hatred. Voters did this with eyes wide open.
How will we at the Brennan Center respond to this moment? We will stand up to authoritarianism and abuse of power. We will work with allies to explain, call out, and fight.
We provide leading expertise on the 18th- and 19th-century statutes that Donald Trump has promised to use to implement mass deportation and stretch executive powers beyond their limits, laws such as the Insurrection Act, the National Emergencies Act, and even the Alien Enemies Act. We will fight the weaponization of the Justice Department. We will stand up against national legislation that aims to make it harder for Americans to vote. And more.
And we will continue to expose the growing role of big money in American politics. Both sides had plenty of cash, of course. But, according to the New York Times, one-third of the president-elect’s funds came from a small handful of billionaires. That is something new and ominous.
We will ask hard questions. In exit polls, the number one issue was the health of democracy. What do voters mean? How do we deepen that understanding?
And we will recognize, too, that our institutions of self-government have failed to produce progress for too many people. We can bring to this moment the ability to think anew and help craft the next agenda.
For now, at a moment of maximum peril, we will continue to fight for American democracy.

 
Megadonors Play Larger Role in Presidential Race
Super PACs closely aligned with presidential candidates have become an expected part of the campaign finance landscape since Citizens United, but our new analysis of Federal Election Commission data shows Trump and Harris relying more than ever on megadonors to fuel these groups. “This election, the biggest super PACs supporting the major party nominees for president have together taken in $865 million from donors who each gave $5 million or more. That’s more than double the amount by this point in 2020,” Ian Vandewalker writes. Read more
North Carolina Was Election-Ready Despite the Hurricane
In addition to the toll on life and property, Hurricane Helene created voting challenges for residents of western North Carolina. Officials worked tirelessly to mitigate those struggles, implementing emergency measures such as designating “out of precinct” polling places for those far from home. Veronica Degraffenreid, Yasmin Abusaif, and Kendall Karson Verhovek interviewed officials and voters there. “I think my county government is doing everything they can within the parameters that they have to work under to give everyone an opportunity to vote,” one voter said. Read more

 
Coming Up
Thursday, November 7, 3–4 p.m. ET
 
Rather than days of uncertainty, voters delivered a snap victory to Donald Trump, returning the former president to the White House. What is the nature of the coalition that Trump assembled, and what will that mean for his administration? What’s going on with control of the House, still undecided at the time of this writing? And how will our democratic institutions respond to Trump’s plans to stretch presidential powers to their limits? No one is better positioned to answer your questions about the election than the Brennan Center’s lawyers, researchers, and advocates.
 
Tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET, join us for a virtual event with Brennan Center President Michael Waldman and other experts for a discussion on what happened on Election Day, what the results tell us, and what could be next. RSVP today
Want to keep up with Brennan Center Live events? Subscribe to the events newsletter.

 
News
 
  • Alice Clapman on minor election disruptions // ABC NEWS
  • Douglas Keith on state supreme court races // REUTERS
  • Wendy Weiser and John Kowal on the Electoral College // NEW YORK TIMES

 
 
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
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