- THE VOTE
67
OO U W
SCENARIO
2
ELECTION
MELTDOWN
As
feared,
there
were
major
problems
with
in-person
voting
during
a
pandemic
and
an
unprecedented
surge
in
vote-by-mail.
Voter
confidence
is
undermined,
and
some
coronavirus
infections
are
attributed
to
polling
places.
→
Tens
of
thousands
of
voters
have
their
ballots
thrown
out
as
lawyers
for
both
sides
argue
over
the
rules
in
court
Partisans
take
advantage
of
any
delays
in
counting
to
cast
doubt
on
the
results.
Internet
trolls
and
Russian
agents
amplify
them.
→
Staying
true
to
comments
he
made
before
the
election,
President
Trump
alleges
fraud
in
the
counting
process,
whether
he
is
winning
or
losing.
But
as
long
as
the
margin
of
victory
is
wide
enough,
conspiracy
theories
remain
on
the
fringe
and
Americans
generally
accept
the
winner.
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