Washington, DC — As anticipated, reports are showing that we will not have the results of the presidential race on election night, stating that it could take several days for all the votes to be accounted for. While Donald Trump continues to spread disinformation, Joe Biden has reaffirmed his commitment to a peaceful transition of power, as total votes roll in in his favor.
350 Action North America Director Tamara Toles O’Laughlin issued this following statement:
“Our work was never going to end on November 3rd. This is an election season and it’s not over yet. As predicted, votes are still being counted and our communities are making our voices heard. We are holding the line and demanding that officials count every single vote. We will not accept false claims of victory from Donald Trump, and we urge Biden to remain steadfast as every vote is counted.
“No matter the results, we are here for the fight ahead. We are part of a broad coalition of movements representing Black, Indigenous, communities of color, immigrants, LGBTQ communities, women, workers, poor people, and more to demand that every vote is honored. BIPOC communities are always the targets of intimidation and voter suppression, and we stand strong in protecting one another and calling direct attention to these tactics. We will keep rising up against any and all attacks on our democracy and our communities and we will hold State officials, the Electoral College, Congress, and the Supreme Court accountable to every one of our votes. It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
350 Action is preparing to Protect the Results this week, supporting mass mobilizations and distributed actions across the country. Protect the Results is a network of over 165 groups concerned about Trump’s efforts to sow doubt about the election, and his continued refusal to say if he will accept the results. The coalition is mobilizing millions of Americans, with over 520 “Count Every Vote” rallies scheduled.
350 Action Executive Director May Boeve offered the following:
“The fate of our democracy and our planet in our hands. This year alone, our country has faced compound crises of racial, economic, climate, and health injustice, and have seen nothing but lies and corporate bailouts from Donald Trump. We will not stand for four more years of this, and that’s why we flooded the polls with our votes. Our struggles are all inextricably related.
“As people rise up to demand free and fair elections, we call on our allies in global movements for climate justice to rise in solidarity with us. A global wave of action is necessary to defend our democracies and to push for a just recovery from COVID-19 and climate chaos. The US leaving the Paris climate agreement on November 4 demonstrates what’s at stake in this election. What we need now is all hands on deck for global climate leadership.””
On November 4, the US legally backs out of the Paris agreement. While the election results remain to be determined, it’s undeniable that climate change has been an issue of importance for people in the US.
As the country waits for election results, 2 million people are without power in the Southeast due to Hurricane Zeta, fires rage in California and Colorado, and hundreds of thousands are without power in Oklahoma and Texas due to a dangerous ice storm. Globally, Hurricane Eta has made landfall in Nicaragua as the 28th named storm of the season, and Super Typhoon Goni, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, tore through the Philippines this week. Markets are divesting from fossil fuels, big oil is sinking and in an attempt to stay afloat, it’s upped its political contributions to keep Republicans in office.
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NOTES TO THE EDITOR:
350 Action spokespeople are available for interview.