Well, today’s the big day!
Voters in Georgia are heading to the polls to decide whether to reelect antigay Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, or oust them in favor of their pro-LGBTQ Democratic opponents, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
It’s an important election because it will determine which party controls the Senate, which will determine what, if anything, Joe Biden can get done once he takes office at noon on January 20.
If the Democrats win both races today, they will have control of the entire Legislative Branch of the federal government. If the Republicans win just one of the races today, Mitch McConnell and his creepy zombie hands will remain in power and continue pulling the strings in Washington, D.C.
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A record 3 million people have already cast their votes, either by absentee ballot or through early voting, and another 800,000 to 1 million more are expected to do so in person sometime today.
Sooooo when will we know the results?
Well, polls in Georgia don’t close until 7 p.m. So we’ve got a while to go. And it could be a while longer before we learn who the winners are.
Under Georgia law, absentee ballots received before Election Day can’t be counted until the polls close tonight, although county election officials were allowed to begin processing those ballots in advance. So that’s going to slow things down a bit.
There are also a few other factors that could drag this thing out, including a possible recount. If the winning candidate squeaks out a victory with 0.5% of the votes or less, the losing candidate can request a recount.
There’s also the terrifying prospect of a second runoff. Yes, you read that correctly, folx, a second effing runoff! As if this whole thing hasn’t been agonizing enough.
The Savannah Morning News reports:
Could there be a second runoff?
Yes, it’s possible, but it’s extremely unlikely. In Georgia, the only way a second runoff could happen is if both candidates receive the exact same number of votes. In the case of a tie, another runoff is held with only the tied race.
While the chances of this do seem pretty slim, polls show both races are extremely, extremely tight. The most recent FiveThirtyEight report finds Ossoff leading Perdue by just 1.8 points and Warnock leading Loeffler by just 2.1 points.
And considering this election is technically a holdover from 2020, a year when it seemed like literally anything was possible, we’re not writing anything off just yet.
There’s also the chance this could be stretched out even further with lawsuits and legal battles. Georgia counties have until January 15 to certify their election results, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has until January 22 to certify the statewide results.
Considering how Republicans have been behaving lately, we wouldn’t put it past either Perdue or Loeffler to drag this thing to the courts should either of them lose.
Deep breaths, deep breaths.
Whatever happens, one thing is for certain: With the Georgia runoffs over, the 2020 election season, arguably the most toxic election season in American history, will finally (finally!) be laid to rest.
Related: Kelly Loeffler says she’s definitely not racist after being photographed with former KKK leader
Essie
Deep breathes are not helping. Trust.
Max
OMG, same thing first time bottoming!
AxelDC
An exact tie is nearly impossible, so why make it your headline?
Bob
Nearly.. Remember what year this is.
Kangol2
It’s unlikely, but as of 12:34 am on January 6, 2021, Ossoff and Perdue are tied at 50.0% and only separated by 1,500 votes, while Rev. Warnock is leading that billionaire zombie Loeffler by 35,000 votes, with more votes from the Atlanta area still to come in.
JessPH
Clickbait article. The chance of it happening is 0.0000000000000001%
Oranos
This ”all or nothing” Black-or-White thinking isn’t helping anyone.
Can we focus on the BIG race we wanted to win: the Presidency? Fine. WE GOT IT. Now, all of sudden, people are tripping on the next two years. How about one step at a time. Trump will no longer be president. Is that not the victory we begged for?
How about one step at a time? IF we don’t win the senate, we still have control of TWO houses. And halfway through Biden’s presidency, there will be another senate race or two, and maybe then – as Congress flipped during Trump’s presidency, we can have a Democratic majority senate.
Hysteria and gasp-and-swoon anxiety is counterproductive. Biden’s not even in office yet, and people are behaving as though nothing will get done. Things got done under Obama, even with a Republican majority senate. Not as much, of course, as if the senate wasn’t hellbent on sabotaging its first Black president, but things go done.
Breathe, people. COVID is bad enough for peoples’ mental health. Don’t make things harder on yourself by fretting about a future that has not even occurred yet.
Kangol2
Yes, it is excellent that Biden and Harris won, both because they ousted a grossly incompetent, corrupt, fascist, treasonous psychopath (Don the Con), and because their policies will benefit a majority of Americans rather than the top 1%. But for them to move legislation into passage, they will need to have a Democratic House (which they do) and a Democratic Senate (which is now 50 GOP and 48 Dem, with 2 open seats).
Having these two Democrats win will be huge because Biden and Harris only will not be able to pass laws, but also confirm all Cabinet members, judges, etc. much more easily. Also, if Warnock and Ossoff win, the Democrats will control all Senate committees, thus setting the agenda in a way that will be distinctly different from the non-working Senate we’ve witnessed for the last 4 years. So these races are absolutely crucial. As of right now, Warnock is winning and Ossoff is behind by 1,500 votes, with a sizable chunk of votes still to come from the Atlanta area.
Lastly, both Warnock and Ossoff are strongly pro-LGBTQ. You will not be seeing anti-gay policies or support for any coming from either of them.
EVERY vote matters!
Oranos
Votes count, unquestionably. Freaking out ABOUT votes does not advance ANYthing. That was my point. No matter. I followed the election all night. Ossoff moved from 13,000+ votes ahead of Perdue to 16, 000+ and Perdue has only gained 140 votes since 4 a.m. Mail-ins are, of course, important and we’ll see. BUT, it appears Georgie went BLUE “all the way.” That is equally important!
ebayguy4u
ITS OVER! Both Republicans lose, and Democrats take control of the house! A huge victory, and a day for celebration!