A Presidential election in the United States is a process, not a date. The Constitution and federal statutes set six key dates for that process in 2020. This episode reviews their history, and considers how each date could lead to conflict in a highly polarized climate:
- November 3, 2020. Election Day -- the end of vote collection, but the start of vote counting;
- December 8, 2020. "Safe Harbor Day" -- the day a state's resolution of a dispute about electors becomes binding (the date that drove the fast pace of Bush v. Gore);
- December 14, 2020. The day electors formally vote in each state;
- December 23, 2020. The deadline to transmit a state's electoral vote to Congress;
- January 6, 2021. "Counting Day" -- usually ceremonial, but potentially the start of a brand-new election in the House if no candidate has an electoral majority; and
- January 20, 2021. Inauguration Day. The President's term ends.