Journalists’ Roundtable: 11/7/20: Election Day reactions

It has been a turbulent election cycle, however, the presidential election has yet to be decided. Joining Ted Simmons to talk about the 2020 elections: Laurie Roberts from The Arizona Republic and Howie Fischer of Capitol Media Services.

As of the date of recording, Nov. 6, 2020, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden leads the electoral vote with 264 out of the 270 needed to win. President Donald Trump lags behind with 214 electoral votes. 

This week’s Journalists’ Roundtable covered:

• ‘SharpieGate’
• Results of the elections
• Party unrest
• Vote counts

SharpieGate and counting votes

Laurie Roberts: “It’s disheartening but it’s not surprising… You’ve got people on the local level that are running around with pitchforks saying ‘see we can prove that this system doesn’t work’ when if they would just calm down and listen to the explanations they may have a different point of view. “

Howie Fischer: “The fact is the manufacturers of the devices said ‘use these sharpies they have black ink that dries fast.’ And the best line of the day from the hearing quite frankly came from Deputy Attorney Tom Liddy, and he told the judge ‘voters have a right to know the allegations flying around the internet about sharpies being dropped from black helicopters to cheat people out of their vote is fake.’”

Laurie Roberts: “Remember, it’s also important to make the point that both parties have poll watchers in the election headquarters where votes are being counted. They are keeping a sharp eye out on every one of these ballots. And the idea that they think ballots are just being thrown out, without any challenge to that, is just without foundation.”

Party unrest surrounding vote counts

Howie Fischer: “Where is Doug Ducey in all of this, that’s the point. There was a conference, a press conference, a pep rally at Republican headquarters, no sign of the governor. He’s not coming up for air. It’s his responsibilities as the head of the Republican party in Arizona, Kelli Ward notwithstanding, to come out and say ‘look, this is working.’ He issued a printed statement saying ‘we’re following the process.’ He could come out, he could have a press conference and he can tell everyone to shut the heck up.”

Results of the election

Laurie Roberts: “I don’t know if there was any sort of blue wave.”

Howie Fischer: “This should have been a better Democratic year, not only in terms of Prop. 208 (and there was a lot of money spent on both sides), but Prop. 207 on the ballot in terms of legalization of marijuana for recreational use. You had all the things that should have brought out the Democrats. This was the year the youth vote was going to come out; This was the year the Latino vote was going to come out, although, obviously, that was not a block certainly for Joe Biden. And for all of that talk, all of that get out to vote, its sort of sad.”

Laurie Roberts: “Oh boy, I’d like to say where we go from here is we all get in the same room and actually talk to one another. But boy, the feelings are so deep-set and there’s so much anger out there.”