President Joe Biden on Wednesday tried to set expectations for a messy counting process in the midterm elections, during his speech warning of threats to American democracy.
“[I]n some cases we won’t know the winner of the election for a few days — until a few days after the election,” he said. “It takes time to count all legitimate ballots in a legal and orderly manner.”
Biden celebrated there was a record turnout of voters in early voting and in voting by mail.
“We want every American’s voice to be heard. Now we have to move the process forward,” he said. “We know that many states don’t start counting those ballots till after the polls close on Nov. 8.”
Biden urged Americans to be patient until all the ballots were counted.
“It’s always been important for citizens in the democracy to be informed and engaged,” he said. “Now it’s important for a citizen to be patient as well. That’s how this is supposed to work.”
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on preserving and protecting Democracy during the midterm elections at Union Station on November 2, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)
The president signaled alarm that some Republican candidates refused to commit to accepting the results of their election.
“This is a path to chaos in America. It’s unprecedented. It’s unlawful, and it’s un-American,” he said.
Biden’s remarks recall the attempt by Democrats to set the stage in the 2020 election, warning media, and government officials that it would look like then-President Donald Trump was winning until all the other ballots cast by mail, absentee ballots, and through early voting were counted days later.
After the 2020 election, Trump and his supporters watched as his slim leads in critical states were whittled down by absentee and vote-by-mail ballots until Biden pulled ahead and was declared the winner.