Presidential Polls Predict Landslide--Don't Count on it!

By Mildred Robertson

According to recent polls, Joe Biden will rout Donald Trump on November 3.  A Quinnipiac University poll taken July 9 – July 13, 2020 show that 52% of Americans support Joe Biden while only 37% support Trump. The poll of 1273 registered voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8%.  Sounds like good news for Democrats. However, voters who are lukewarm on 2020 candidates and think their vote is not needed should probably rethink their position.

The 2020 Presidential election has a unique set of challenges which make the final outcome less predictable than past elections. Factors include a repeat of 2016 when Russia interfered in the presidential election, a possible drag on the youth vote for the Democratic nominee’s moderate stance on many hot button issues, and voter intimidation and suppression attempts by Republicans and other conservatives.

Republicans have made concerted efforts to limit early and mail-in voting. Their stance seems to be that a large voter turnout will result in their defeat, and have, therefore, pulled out all the stops as it relates to limiting minority access to the voting booth.  

False narratives run rampant in ads and among TV talking heads who repeat conservative tropes regarding widespread voter fraud. Many states are limiting the number of polling  places, all but guaranteeing that there will be long lines and ridiculous wait times come election day. These factors, added to the Corona virus pandemic, are designed to stymie the Blue Wave being predicted by state and national pollsters for the 2020 Election. If America has in fact turned against Donald Trump, conservatives seem to believe that they can stem the tide by discouraging voter turnout and making it difficult for those who chose to do so.  

The fact is, voting has never been easy for African Americans. From poll taxes, to night riders, to work schedules that make it difficult to get to the polls, many Americans found the challenge too tough. But it was not too tough for people like the recently deceased John Lewis who sacrificed his body to win you and me the opportunity to vote. It was not too tough for Dr. Martin Luther King, or the young men and women of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or the Freedom Riders, many of whom gave their lives for our right to freedom and human dignity.

As we mourn the loss of Civil Rights icon John Lewis, it would be fitting that they change the name of the "Edmund Pettus Bridge" to the "John Lewis Bridge." But what would be even more fitting would be a record turnout of minority voters in the 2020 Election. That is the best way to honor his memory.

We cannot depend on polls to deliver our fate on November 3, 2020. We must take our destiny in our own hands and vote in numbers like we have never voted before. Check your registration to make sure that you have not been subject to one of the many voter purges occurring across the nation. Request your mail-in ballot as soon as they become available in your state. Make sure you mail in your completed ballot at least two weeks prior to November 3, 2020. If you choose to vote in person, take off November 3^rd so that you can stay as long as necessary to make sure your vote is cast. Go to the polls early. Talk to your family and friends to make sure they are registered and that they intend to vote.  

It is true that many polls across America say that the 2020 election is over. But a poll is just an educated guess. Don’t leave your future to guesswork—VOTE on or before November 3, 2020. 

Contact your local Board of Elections now for early voting locations or to obtain your absentee ballot