A Tattered But Resilient Voting System

One of the most contentious elections in U.S. history rolled toward completion this week [Voting in iowa]( Mario Tama/Getty Images Editor’s Note: We’ll be taking a break from the newsletter this coming Saturday but will be back with you next week. Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for your support. --------------------------------------------------------------- Spotlight: The End Of An Extraordinary Election Signs of a tattered, but resilient, voting system were on full display this week, as one of the most contentious elections in U.S. history rolled toward completion. Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina put the final stamp of approval on their official vote counts, as workers re-tallied millions of ballots in Georgia and Wisconsin to assure the Trump campaign that the initial count was accurate. Courts in Pennsylvania, Michigan and elsewhere reviewed and [almost uniformly rejected]( legal challenges for lack of merit. The 2020 election was extraordinary in so many ways. A pandemic forced election workers to shift their attention from guarding against Russian phishing attacks to acquiring adequate supplies of hand sanitizers and printing millions of mail-in ballots. But more extraordinary were the unrelenting attacks on the legitimacy of the system, primarily by President Trump and his allies, and the resulting decline in public trust. What's left now is a trail of partisan ill will and deep distrust among a large share of the American electorate. The [Pew Research Center]( recently found that 59% of voters think the election was run and administered well, but only 21% of Trump voters believe that was the case, compared with 94% of Biden voters. The irony is that, by most accounts, 2020 was [one of the safest, most accurate elections in American history](. Discrepancies in vote totals were minor and for the most part traceable to human error. Election experts anticipate [two competing efforts in the months ahead](. One, to make voting easier, especially by mail. The other to impose more restrictions, to protect against possible fraud and reassure a skeptical public. If past experience is any sign, the results will differ from state to state, depending largely on who's in charge. — Pam Fessler, NPR National Desk correspondent covering voting [Read more]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [Biden announcments]( Mark Makela/Getty Images Transition Updates Nearly three weeks after Election Day, President-elect Joe Biden has been given the blessing needed to fully begin his transition. The General Services Administration [ascertained that he was, in fact, president-elect]( on Monday after days of controversy. [That means]( Biden’s team now has money to pay its staff, access to office space and to government agencies to begin planning its first steps, including the expected distribution of a coronavirus vaccine. President Trump, while still refusing to formally concede, [did relent]( in his acknowledgement of the need for a transition. Biden also announced [a slate of new nominees and appointments]( this week, a group that includes a number of [potentially groundbreaking candidates]( such as the first woman to lead the intelligence community and the first immigrant to head the Department of Homeland Security. [See the full list of names and bios here](. — Dana Farrington, NPR digital editor, Washington Desk --------------------------------------------------------------- [Biden record]( Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images ICYMI 80 million: In a year of record turnout, President-elect Joe Biden has now crossed a threshold [of 80 million votes]( the most ever cast for a presidential candidate. He holds a more than 6 million-vote lead over President Trump, who has the second-most votes ever cast. [See the turnout trend over time](. The future of mail voting: The changes to voting options this year led to historic turnout despite the coronavirus pandemic. Soon, states will have to [decide whether to continue offering those options](. The fraught politics around alleged "fraud" complicate the outlook for coming elections. Vaccine distribution: Officials with Operation Warp Speed have announced that once a COVID-19 vaccine is approved, they plan to [distribute it based on state population]( rather than by targeting high-risk groups, which had been proposed by an independent CDC advisory group. Coronavirus relief: Congress has been unable to reach an agreement on a new stimulus package to aid an economy battered by the pandemic. Without a deal, millions of Americans are set to lose unemployment benefits and other protections that had been afforded over the summer. As president-elect, [Joe Biden is facing a dilemma]( of whether to encourage Democrats to move quickly, to deliver aid faster, even if that means accepting a smaller deal than they would like. — Dana Farrington, NPR digital editor, Washington Desk --------------------------------------------------------------- [Family recipe]( LA Johnson/NPR Thanksgiving Recipe Thank you for your recipe suggestions as requested last week! Here’s one from Rhonda in Kansas: - Chilled cranberry soup - 4 cups fresh (or frozen) cranberries - 3 cups water - 1-1/2 cups sugar - 3 inches stick cinnamon - 1/4 tsp ground cloves - 2 Tbsp lemon juice - 1 Tbsp finely shredded orange peel - (orange peel curl & mint leaves for garnish - optional) In 3-quart saucepan, combine cranberries, water, sugar, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered about 5 minutes or until about half of the cranberries have popped. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and orange peel. Cool, then cover and chill for 4-24 hours. Remove cinnamon stick before serving. Top with orange peel curl and mint leaves if desired. Makes 6-8 servings. [Here are three more recipes]( to try for a scaled-down, low-key Thanksgiving. Struggling to re-create a family tradition on your own? [Here are some tips](. And of course, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a dollop of [Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [nprpolitics@npr.org](mailto:nprpolitics@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Politics emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]