The 2020 General Election, like the rest of the year 2020, was, to put it nicely — different. Days after Election Day on Nov. 3, the country is still in limbo waiting on all of the votes for the presidential election to be tallied. Gwinnett County flipped from a once Republican-held county to a Democrat one. Long-time officials were ousted, shaking up the political landscape of the county.
This election cycle was a circus of misinformation and propaganda. Big tech companies like Facebook and Twitter used their platforms to sway voters and censor those that did not hold their views. The mainstream media abused their power to push their own agendas. Outlets like CNN were prone to take little clips of candidates and use those in ways that skewed the truth while completely ignoring the wrongdoings of others all to convince voters to get behind the candidates that fit their agenda.
Record numbers voted whether it was through early voting, mail-in ballots or in person on Election Day. Mail in ballots or absentee ballots were being pushed hard while mishandling of said ballots plagued election officials. Concerns over voter fraud have run rampant, but those concerns have been brushed aside.
Long before Election Day rolled around, registered voters were being hounded nonstop by text messages, phone calls, emails and by good ol’ snail mail. This is the first major election where campaigning by text messages took place and it did not go over well with voters. The messages were simply too many and at all hours. U.S. Postal Service mail carriers were inundated with thousands of extra pieces of mail to deliver due to all of the political flyers and postcards being sent out for virtually every race taking place. One mail carrier said that what was once a six- to seven-hour route had turned into a 12-hour job.
If all of those things didn’t make this election different, the topics up for debate among the candidates will loudly state that this election is far different than those that came before, controversial topics including COVID-19, Black Lives Matters, ANTIFA, riots and China, just to name a few.
Regardless who won the various races, the nation needs to remember that above any political party affiliation, they are first and foremost Americans. Their neighbor with whom they might disagree is an American. An America that is divided will fall, an America that is united will prosper.
— Alicia Couch Payne
