Unity, Trust, and Voting

This is a note I shared with the KIND team today, celebrating the strength of our democracy and its ability to meet the challenges of 2020.

KIND Team,

Election Day is coming up. All calendars should be cleared on 11/3 before 12pm ET so that you can get out and vote. This time is yours, though depending on your state laws, you may be able to participate in early voting or mail-in voting. If you have not yet made a voting plan and are looking for resources, please make use of our Voter Action Portal. A big thank you to the DEI team for putting this together. Remember, every single vote counts and your participation in civic life matters.

While civil discourse can turn combative during an election period, I am proud of our team for continuing to model values of inclusion, empathy, and respect for differing points of view. Regardless of who we vote for, we are united by fundamental values that have long made this country exceptional.

We can expect elections to look different this year due to Coronavirus, but our democracy is built to ensure a fair election even under extenuating circumstances. Systems are in place to protect against interference and manipulation. History dating back to the Civil War shows mail-in voting is safe and a Brookings analysis indicates a very low rate of fraud in Western states that vote almost entirely by mail.

It is normal that the high volume of mail-in ballots will take longer to count, which means it's likely that we will not have a clear winner on election night. This does not indicate a failure of the democratic system. On the contrary, when election officials take the time to count and verify every ballot, it’s a sign that our democracy is working.

2020 has been a challenging year. Our resiliency in facing many unprecedented circumstances will only make us stronger. What is important is that we do everything in our power to transcend partisan differences and find commonality in the values we all share. This will ensure we stay united and engaged in shaping the future of our nation. 

Warmest, DL