Biden Is Projected To Be The President-Elect. Here’s How It All Went Down.

There’s been a fair amount of talk this election season about QAnon, something that didn’t even exist four years ago. QAnon is a baseless conspiracy theory whose adherents believe there is a global child sex trafficking ring run by Satan-worshipping elites, and only Trump can stop it. If that sounds unbelievable, you’re going to be stunned by the number of candidates on the ballot who have at some point expressed support of the conspiracy theory, including a few who might win tonight.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican running in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, has tweeted “#GreatAwakening” to Alex Jones, called Q “a patriot” and even hosted videos detailing the “evidence” she believes proves Q is “the real deal.” More recently, though, she’s distanced herself from QAnon. Greene’s opponent dropped out of the race, though his name is still on the ballot, so our forecast gives her very high odds of winning the seat.

Two other Republicans — Lauren Boebert, who’s running in Colorado’s 3rd District, and Burgess Owens, who is running in Utah’s 4th District — have also made comments suggesting a belief in the QAnon conspiracy, though they too have walked back those statements. They’re in tighter races than Greene, so it will be worth watching whether they can pull it off. There are a number of other candidates for U.S. House and Senate around the country, including 17 other Republican nominees, who have made comments sympathetic to QAnon, but our forecast doesn’t give those candidates much of a shot. There won’t be a QAnon caucus in Congress just yet, but being associated with the conspiracy clearly hasn’t disqualified any candidates from landing on the ticket.

Some of the most interesting elections of 2020 don’t even have any candidates. There are 121 statewide ballot measures being decided today, such as:

• Proposition 22 in California, which will decide whether Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, etc. drivers and delivery people are independent contractors or employees entitled to legal protections. (Those companies have spent $200 million to ensure it’s the former.)
• Ballot Measure 2 in Alaska, which would implement the nation’s first top-four primary (where the top four vote-getters advance, regardless of party) and ranked-choice voting in the general election. (Massachusetts, via Question 2, is also voting on whether to adopt ranked-choice voting.)
• Amendment #1 in Virginia, which would set up a bipartisan redistricting commission.
• Proposition 115 in Colorado, which would ban abortions after 22 weeks.
• Five ballot measures across four states (Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota) that would legalize recreational marijuana.
• And a non-binding statehood referendum in Puerto Rico.

And that’s just scratching the surface; you can read about the other interesting ballot measures we’re watching here.

So here’s a tricky issue: The CDC issued new guidelines on Sunday clarifying that people who are actively in quarantine after a positive COVID-19 test can go to the polls, in person, to vote. Obviously, this is not an ideal situation. But it’s definitely one that some voters are liable to face today, as COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing around the country. The big takeaway, I think, is less, “Boy what a good idea! There’s no risk here at all!” and more a statement reminding you that your right to vote exists no matter what your health status.

This is, in other words, one of those situations where values and science have to coexist, and people might make scientifically less-than-ideal choices in the service of their ideals. And there are steps you can take to make this choice safer, if it’s one you have to make. Besides the usual mask and distancing, the CDC also recommends sick voters let poll workers know their status when they arrive at their voting location. That will enable poll workers to take extra precautions — like limiting the amount of time a sick person has to spend around other voters. (Thanks to reader Candler Hunt for asking about this!)