Keep calm and wait for the votes to be counted

[View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter]( November 4, 2020 This is the scenario that many were worried about: No clear outcome on the last day of voting. Instead, we'll have to wait for days, possibly weeks, depending on how vote counting and court battles play out. As my colleague David Corn, Mother Jones' Washington bureau chief, wrote tonight: This situation—no clear outcome on election night—was no shocker. The shift to mail-in ballots in many states, due to the pandemic, meant it was unlikely a winner could be declared within hours of polls closing. And though Trump had signaled he might try to claim victory in the midst of uncertainty, responsible folks realized the process would likely move forward and Americans would have to wait. For everyone hoping for a clear inflection point, an [Election Day wave]( even, it was still tough to process. But it's also quite expected: For months, this is all that folks who study elections were talking about, warning the media against making calls too early in an election that was very likely to come down to states that would count their ballots—a record number of them mailed in—well past the night of November 3. MoJo's Ari Berman has an excellent [short video explainer]( that is worth sharing with anyone you know who is confused, or even at risk of falling for lies and disinformation about how the process works. And the truth is, at a moment of high anxiety like this one, that includes all of us. Everyone can fall for a viral rumor, an overheated headline. Everyone can fall into despair and confusion. Not to do so requires resolve. It means we have to steer against our own instincts—to freak out, yell at someone, or tune out in frustration. In the coming days, you'll need that resolve. So will I. But I can promise you one thing—the team here at Mother Jones will stay focused on the facts, the context, and the story behind the headlines. The reporters and editors who stayed up late tonight—and are still nowhere near heading to bed—will work to bring clarity, not confusion, truth and not disinformation. And we know you'll hold us to it. I'll leave you—for now—with a point my colleague Nathalie Baptiste [made in a post early this morning](, after President Trump tweeted—this, too, was entirely expected—that Democrats were trying to steal the election: His fake claim joins a long list of [other instances]( in which Trump has called himself a winner without evidence. For example, though he lost the popular vote by 3 million votes in 2016, he claims he won it—you'd just need to deduct the millions of so-called "illegal" ballots cast for Hillary Clinton. And he repeatedly speaks about the coronavirus, which has killed 231,000 people and is surging across the country, as if he's defeated it. It's all part of a steady pattern we've seen over the last four years. Trump is being consistent, that is, in the usual way: making false claims. Standing up to these lies is our job. Thanks for being part of the MoJo community. —Monika Bauerlein [House Donation Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Now We Wait….]( BY DAVID CORN [Trending] [Joe Biden says "we feel good about where we are" in his election night speech]( BY DAN SPINELLI [Floridians get a raise: Voters sweep a $15 minimum wage into law for the first time in the South]( BY HANNAH LEVINTOVA [Oregon just became the first state to legalize access to magic mushrooms]( BY JACKIE FLYNN MOGENSEN [Even conservatives think Trump's premature declaration of victory was bad]( BY BEN DREYFUSS [House Subscription Ad]( [The Big Feature] [Special Feature]( [I Just Voted in My First Election Since My Felony Conviction. I’m in Tears.]( A Florida mom recounts her rocky journey to the polls today. BY LATOYA MORELAND AS TOLD TO SAMANTHA MICHAELS [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( [Recharge] SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR ONCE [A Florida Mother of 4 Recounts Her First Time Voting in 12 Years]( As the race tightened into the night and early morning, sources of good news began to emerge beyond the results themselves. Among them is the story of 39-year-old LaToya Moreland, a mother of four, and her rocky journey to her first time voting in 12 years. The Florida resident overcame obstacle after obstacle on her way to the polls. [Read her incredible story]( in her own words, and take your recharge where you can. We’ll be back with more good news after some short rest. —Daniel King Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. 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