Dear MoveOn member,
We are working around the clock to ensure Vice President Kamala Harris wins this November. But the truth is we need to be prepared for all scenarios, including an Electoral College tie, a contested election where Donald Trump attempts to overthrow the election, and a second Trump term.
We know that, no matter the results, Trump will declare himself the winner on election night.
That’s why a team of political experts at MoveOn—along with our partners—is preparing for every possible outcome. And we must be ready to keep up the fight to protect our democracy and count every vote long past Election Day.
But we must be honest about a huge challenge we are facing: Our fundraising has been significantly slower than in previous election years.
We will detail some of our plans below. But first, we are humbly asking you to start a weekly donation right now to ensure that MoveOn not only has the funds to run our full get-out-the-vote program all the way through Election Day but also has the resources to organize our members to defend democracy, stop any attempts to sabotage a free and fair election, and advance a people-first agenda no matter what happens in November.
If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
One scenario we are preparing for is an Electoral College tie where both Harris and Trump get 269 votes. In this scenario, the nation would be plunged into a “contingent election.”
According to the 12th Amendment, if no candidate gets a majority of the Electoral College votes, the new Congress—which would have just been sworn in on January 3—would choose the president. The Senate would choose the vice president.1
But the congressional voting process is complicated. Instead of voting as individuals, each state delegation in the House would get one vote. And the first candidate to earn 26 state delegation votes would be appointed as the new president.2
Because members of Congress would not be bound to upholding the results of the election in their state, this unprecedented moment—should it come to pass—will require MoveOn and our partners to launch a massive public campaign engaging millions to take collective action across the country, potentially at a scale we have never seen before.
Say, for example, that Harris wins Arizona. There is nothing that would bind Arizona’s members of Congress—a majority of whom currently are Republicans—to honor the will of the people. They simply could vote to install Trump. And we must be prepared to act quickly and powerfully to push back.
Kendall, this is only one of dozens of scenarios we must be prepared for. But scenario planning is time and resource intensive. And we simply cannot do it without your help.
Please, if you are able, start a weekly donation to power and sustain our efforts to prepare for every possible post-election scenario.
If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Trump has already refused to say that he will accept the outcome of the election. He has also refused to rule out political violence if he loses. Asked during an interview if he would dismiss the prospect of political violence if he loses, Trump said, “‘If we don’t win, you know, it depends.”3
And just like in 2020, if Vice President Harris wins, we can anticipate multiple inflection moments between Election Day and the Inauguration where MAGA and Trump may try to overthrow the results. We must be prepared to stop them.
We cannot, and will not, allow that to happen. But that may require massive, sustained efforts by MoveOn and others to push back on disinformation, ensure that elections officials are not intimidated into doing Trump’s bidding, put pressure on Congress to follow the will of the people, and much, much more.
Your weekly donation is a direct investment in reaching voters in this critical final stretch of the election, as well as making sure that no matter what happens following the election, our democracy remains and we can build a country that works for all of us.
If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Thanks for all you do.
–Mohammad, Erica, Bekir, Eric, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. “What happens if there’s a tie in 2024? Be ready for a ‘contingent election,'” CNN, August 23, 2024
https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/04/politics/tie-presidential-election-what-matters/index.html
2. Ibid.
3. “Trump doesn’t rule out political violence if he loses, and other takeaways from his Time interview,” CNN, April 30, 2024
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/30/politics/trump-political-violence-2024-time-interview/index.html
Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. MoveOn.org Civic Action – PO Box 96141, Washington, D.C. 20090-6141.