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

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!)

After the 2016 election, Trump and other Republicans were eager to cast the results — which included Trump losing the popular vote — as a mandate for their policy agenda. This time around, whoever wins is almost sure to do the same, especially if he takes office after a protracted and partisan battle over the results. Why? My research on presidential mandate claims suggests that presidents rely on stories about election results to justify their actions precisely when their legitimacy is in question or when they’re on the defensive politically.