For weeks, the League of Women Voters stuck to our demands to #CountEveryVote and declarations that #EveryVoteCounts. Then, we moved seamlessly to #DemocracyRising, and #VotersDecided, inoculating against misinformation and false claims of victory. And in this moment, when the seeds of discord and chaos are being sown, we must again refuse the bait by telling the true tale of this election.

And we do that by portraying the election as clear, decisive and done, and shifting our focus toward the future. We must continue to emphasize that we are standing with and for each other, pulling together, pursuing our democratic agenda, and tackling shared challenges.

Most of us believe that for democracy to work for all of us, it must include us all.
People across our country have stood with and for each other, marching to demand liberty and justice, pulling through this pandemic by pulling together, and rejecting attempts to divide us based on what we look like, where we come from or where we live.
Despite COVID, the economic crisis, and deliberate barriers set to silence the voices of people struggling to make ends meet, Black people and new Americans, we turned out in record numbers to pick new leaders who will care and govern for all of us.
And now we will hold our new government to account — to not merely tackle the crises the last government created — but to make this a place where all of us can thrive.

However, we know that the media will continue to cash in on the chaos that gets them views. If you are asked about specific actions taken or allegations made by the outgoing administration, we encourage you to continue focusing on the fact that we the people pick our leaders and that the will of the people is clear. When you must talk about the disinformation, be sure to ascribe motivations and frame attempts to discredit the results as a desperate attempt to validate a narrative by those who have lost. Messaging suggestions below:

Americans agree that the basis of our democracy is that we pick our leaders — our leaders do not pick their voters.
The United States has always held elections and conducted a democratic transfer of power. We have upheld the will of the people in presidential elections through the Civil War, Great Depression, previous pandemics and both World Wars.
Americans young and old, rural and urban, Northern and Southern, turned out in record numbers, and our election officials have counted and verified these votes applying the laws, customs and safeguards used in every election.
Now that it’s clear that “we the people” have elected Biden, Trump and his Republican allies have been trying to sow doubts about the outcome of the election through baseless claims and investigations. In America, the voters alone decide who will represent us and govern in our name.
It’s time we come together to ensure the will of the people prevails and demand that the leader the people have chosen is sworn in as our next president to ensure we can make ends meet, tackle this pandemic, and care for our families.

In League,
Debra Cronmiller, Executive Director, LWV Dane County

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