The press should not report a winner of the upcoming presidential race on the night of the election, said the Colorado secretary of state.
Jena Griswold, who manages the state’s elections, urged media outlets not to report voting results on the night of the election, saying it might not represent members of the public who will vote by mail.
“ATTN NATIONAL MEDIA EXECUTIVES: Our democracy cannot be held hostage to a ratings race. If you care about our democracy, you will protect it. Full Stop,” Griswold wrote Thursday. “We are in the middle of a pandemic and the President of the United States has telegraphed that he may claim victory on election night, even when millions of ballots will not have been counted.”
Griswold said the election is unlike any other because of mail-in voting, a method of casting ballots often promoted by Democrats because of the spread of the coronavirus.
“That is why I am calling on national media networks to pledge to #PressPause for democracy and: 1. Make NO projections on election night 2. Announce NO election results on election night,” Griswold wrote. “In the coming days, I will ask election administrators, voting rights organizations, media ethicists, corporations, religious leaders, and all concerned Americans to stand with me in demanding media executives #PressPause for democracy.”
That is why I am calling on national media networks to pledge to #PressPause for democracy and:
1.Make NO projections on election night
2.Announce NO election results on election night— Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) October 1, 2020
A Democratic data firm funded by billionaire and failed presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg projected a possible election scenario called a “red mirage,” whereby the amount of mail-in ballots cast in the election could show President Trump with an initial landslide victory on election night but with the total vote count favoring Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed concerns about voting amid the coronavirus pandemic. Republicans, particularly Trump, are skeptical of mail-in voting, saying it could allow for voter fraud. Democrats have brushed off those concerns, often saying voters should not risk contracting the coronavirus and be given the ability to vote by mail.
However, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said there is no reason for people not to vote in person so long as they wear masks and practice social distancing. The public health expert also said earlier this summer he will likely vote in person.
