In a gloomy speech from the White House Wednesday, Joe Biden ripped Republicans, renewing claims that they are a threat to “democracy” while saying Americans should expect delayed vote counting in next Tuesday’s midterm elections. He told American voters to be patient while last-minute ballots get counted. Similar delays were seen in 2020, when Biden ran for the presidency.
American Military News reports:
“We know that many states don’t start counting those ballots until after the polls close on November 8th,” Biden said. “That means in some cases we won’t know the winner of the election for a few days after the election. It takes time to count all legitimate ballots in a legal and orderly manner.
“It’s always been important for citizens in a democracy to be informed and engaged. Now it’s important for citizens to be patient as well,” he added.
During his speech, which comes less than a week before the midterms, Biden warned that democracy is at threat from “election deniers” and those who engage in political violence. Biden began the speech by describing the recent attack on Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi.
Biden made connections between the attack on Paul Pelosi and the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when protestors and rioters breached the U.S. Capitol after then-President Donald Trump raised challenges to the 2020 election results. The 2020 election say delays in vote counts on election night and several states Trump was leading in on election night flipped in Biden’s favor as states continued to count ballots after election day.
Biden also tried to tie Pelosi’s husband’s attack to the January 6th, 2021, incursion of the U.S. Capitol, saying, “This is also the first election since the events of January the 6th,” and adding, “I wish I could say the assault on democracy ended that day,” Biden continued. “But I cannot. As I stand here today, there are candidates running for every level of office in America . . . who won’t commit, they will not commit to accepting the results of elections that they are running in. It’s unprecedented, it’s unlawful and it’s un-American.”
