Dear,

We’re just three days from November 3, and we need to talk about what that
night will look like.

In any other year, we’d all be glued to the news on Voting Day, waiting
for election returns to tell us who our next leaders will be. And it’s
almost certain that Donald Trump and other candidates will try to declare
victory that night.

But this isn’t any other year.

Across the country, 70 million voters -- more than 60% -- are projected to
vote by mail, more than double the number of any other year.(1) Hundreds
of lawsuits are winding their way through the system to determine how and
if those ballots will be counted.(2) Several states do not allow for
counting ballots before Voting Day, and even those that do -- like
California -- are going to be counting for days after.(3)

In these turbulent times, we need to spread one message: Democracy is
worth the wait.

For the first time ever this year, every registered voter in California
received a vote-from-home ballot to mail in or return in a ballot box or
polling place. That’s more than 20 million ballots to process. But just
five days before the election, only 8.5 million have been turned in.(4)

In 2018, 250,000 ballots were dropped off on Voting Day in Orange County
alone.(5) It took nearly three weeks after to count every single ballot in
California, and in the end, dozens of congressional seats, state
legislators, and downballot races were called for people other than who
was in the lead on Voting Day.(6)

At this point, we’re not certain of which ballots will actually be
counted.

The Supreme Court, which has a 6–3 Trump majority, is deciding cases every
day concerning deadline extensions for mail-in ballots, signature matches
for certifying ballots, and more. In the last few days, North Carolina and
Pennsylvania voters learned that their mail-in ballots sent by Voting Day
will be counted if they’re received after, but Wisconsin voters don’t have
the same privilege.(7) In California, the attorney general has sued over
unauthorized ballot boxes.(8)

This all adds up to one truth: Any race called on Voting Day will not have
every ballot counted -- and EVERYONE’S voice should be heard.

We know that the minute the polls close, any candidate with an in-person
polling advantage -- including Donald Trump -- will try to declare
victory, and then will spread disinformation about any ballots counted
after.

We need to be ready to fight. Spread the word that democracy is worth the
wait.

Yours in the fight for our democracy,

Irene, along with Angela, Annie, Caitlin, Deepthi, Gabby, Jay, Lindsay,
Molly, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team)

Footnotes:
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Courage California (formerly Courage Campaign) makes sure our democracy works for ALL of us by fighting corruption in California politics. We believe the solution lies in exposing and solving systemic problems through strategic organizing, enhancing coordination between progressive organizations, and mobilizing civic engagement from our communities, particularly voters of color, young voters, and self-identified progressives.

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