Election fraud is already a problem. Soon it could be a crisis. But election fraud is not the only threat to the integrity of our election system.

Progressives are pushing for nine "reforms" that could increase the opportunity for fraud and dissolve the integrity of constitutional elections. To counter these dangerous measures, our friends at The Heritage Foundation are proposing seven measures to protect your right to vote and ensure fair, constitutional elections.

They are offering it to readers of The Daily Signal for free today.

Get the details now when you download your free copy of, "Mandate for Leadership: Ensuring the Integrity of Our Election System."
Get Your Free Copy Now »

 

As I write this, we still don’t know who has won the 2020 presidential election, or which party will control the Senate. Nor do we know if the results will be challenged in what has turned out to be an exceedingly close election.

I’m sure you have plenty of questions about what we’ve witnessed so far. I know I do.

Our experts have been tracking the results and analyzing the data and are eager to share their insights with you and your fellow Heritage members.

Heritage Vice President of Government Relations Tommy Binion and Heritage Action for America Executive Director Jessica Anderson will join me to talk about what we do know right now, what we can expect to happen over the next days and weeks, and what it means for our policy priorities. They will also discuss how we as conservatives can continue fighting most effectively for issues regardless of the election outcome.

To join the call, dial (202) 774-9600 or (88 359-5098 today, November 4, at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. To listen online, click here and enter PIN 882024

Your family and friends are more than welcome to join us for this call. I encourage you to forward the information on this invitation to them so that they can take part in the briefing as well. You also can submit a question in advance here: Ask your question >>

We look forward to having you join the discussion.

All the best,

Kay C. James
President, The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE | Washington, D.C. 20002 | (800) 546-2843

 

I hope you enjoyed our post-election Members’ Briefing yesterday with Heritage President Kay James, Vice President of Government Relations Tommy Binion, Vice President of the Institute for Constitutional Government John Malcolm, and Heritage Action for America Executive Director Jessica Anderson.

We recorded the entire call in case you weren’t able to join or if you’d like to listen again and share it with friends. Click here to listen.

Here’s a quick refresher on what we discussed:

We walked through what we knew about the election results as of Wednesday afternoon and the challenges and opportunities we have ahead. We discussed how the conservative message clearly resonated with women and minorities more so than the left’s message of identity politics, and noted the issues of election integrity that mail-in voting caused for this election.

We also addressed great questions from Heritage members concerning issues of potential voter fraud, how we can ensure the fairness of this election’s results, and the inaccuracies of pollster and media pundits.

For continued, timely election analysis, please visit heritage.org and continue to follow our communications as the results continue to unfold.

Thank you for all that you do to defend our country’s founding principles. We look forward to speaking with you again soon.

Sincerely,

Andrew P. McIndoe
Vice President of Development
The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE | Washington, D.C. 20002 | (800) 546-2843

 

I know it's been a hectic week for everyone across the country, but I wanted to make sure I touched base with you. While we continue to wait for results, I want you to know that we’re continuously working on behalf of conservative Americans like you to monitor the process of the election.

I understand many people are concerned about the vote counting process. Any and all allegations of fraud must be investigated. Americans need a result they can count on and in every other election our constitution and system of federalism has delivered that.

Heritage’s Zack Smith and Hans von Spakovsky published a piece this morning about the various legal battles across the country. I hope you find it as helpful as I did in understanding where everything currently stands: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/von-...eres-a-rundown

As we head into the weekend, I encourage you to stay optimistic. As Mrs. James said, every legal vote must be counted and, regardless of the outcome, there will still be a lot of work to be done.

Take care,

Mitch

 

The goals of the Left are clear: advancing socialism and promoting ideas that will destroy our country and bankrupt our culture. The time to act is now!

That is why The Heritage Foundation has launched the Citizen’s Guide to Fight for America. Our 2020 guide provides Heritage-recommended action items delivered to you each week and crafted to equip you to make an impact in your community and in our country.



Sign up and join the Fight for America!

• Educate yourself and your family on the most pressing issues of our day using a library of Heritage resources and engage with substance within your circles of influence.
• Track your progress and impact each week as you complete each action, growing your policy knowledge and civic engagement.

Give your conservative values a voice and join an army of concerned citizens in the fight to defend our American ideals. Sign up today!
214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE | Washington, D.C. 20002 | (800) 546-2843

 

COVID-19 Restrictions on Schools, Businesses Raise State Jobless Rates

Rachel Greszler / November 06, 2020 / 95 Comments
With children not attending school in person, many working parents have had to cut back on work hours or quit their jobs entirely. Pictured: School buses sit in a parking lot in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo: Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images)

Commentary By

Rachel Greszler

Rachel Greszler is research fellow in economics, budget, and entitlements in the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget, of the Institute for Economic Freedom, at The Heritage Foundation. Read her research.
The unemployment rate dropped more than expected in October, to 6.9%—from 7.9% in September—as 638,000 jobs were added or regained.

Moreover, the number of people reporting lost work (either reduced hours or none) because their employer closed or lost business due to the coronavirus pandemic plummeted by 4.3 million, to 15.1 million.

While the unemployment rate continues its downward trend nationally, some states are lagging far behind others, with state and local decisions on the reopening of society driving the labor market and the well-being of individuals, families, and businesses.

>>> What’s the best way for America to reopen and return to business? The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, a project of The Heritage Foundation, assembled America’s top thinkers to figure that out. So far, it has made more than 260 recommendations. Learn more here.

The left is actively working to undermine the integrity of our elections. Read the plan to stop them now. Learn more now >>

In six states, the unemployment rate was below 5% in September, while in five states, it was over 10%. (October unemployment rates for the states won’t come out until Nov. 20.)

States that have given individuals, businesses, and schools the freedom to return to most activities with proper safety precautions in place are faring relatively well, while those that have imposed unnecessary restrictions have a lot more people out of work, children falling behind, households struggling to get by, and small businesses collapsing.

According to a wallethub.com ranking of states by their level of COVID-19 restrictions, the 10 states with the fewest restrictions averaged 5.9% unemployment in September, while the 10 with the most restrictions averaged 8.2% unemployment.

That ranking was based on 17 different factors, ranging from business and travel restrictions to court openings and business liability limits.

An incredibly important factor affecting the well-being of workers and families is the option of in-person schooling. After all, without children attending school, many working parents have had to cut back on work hours or quit their jobs entirely.

In October, 3.6 million people were prevented from looking for work because of the pandemic. Additional school openings in October likely contributed to this figure dropping from 4.5 million in September, but with many schools remaining entirely virtual, many either cannot work or can only work in a limited capacity.

While parents who are at home and not looking for work aren’t counted among the unemployed, school closures have spillover effects across societies. Places with more in-person education options have had stronger economic rebounds and lower unemployment rates.

According to Education Week’s assessment of state education orders, those with either mandated openings or no orders averaged 6.7% unemployment in September, while states with full or partial closure orders averaged 9.5% unemployment.

When breaking it down to the district level, the trend appears to be the same. Among the 50 largest public school districts in the U.S., those that are fully open or have the option for in-person education averaged 7% unemployment in September, while districts with a hybrid of in-person and virtual learning averaged 8% unemployment, and districts without in-person options averaged 9.6% joblessness.

While business reopenings contributed to the record-setting economic growth in the third quarter, many households and areas of the country will continue to struggle as long as children remain shut out of their classrooms.

More than 50 million children attend public elementary and secondary schools in the U.S., and more than 70% of households with school-age children have all parents in the household working.

In addition to near-term and potentially lifelong consequences for children not attending schools, America cannot fully recover until parents have the option for their children to go back to school.

Substantial evidence shows that schools have not been COVID-19 “superspreaders,” and it’s actually quite safe for children to return to schools with proper safety measures in place.

State and local policymakers should reopen schools with in-person instruction options. When they don’t, states should provide families with the state per-pupil funding that would have gone to students—in the form of education savings accounts—to use for private school tuition or a learning option of choice.

 

Election fraud is already a problem. Soon it could be a crisis. But election fraud is not the only threat to the integrity of our election system.

Progressives are pushing for nine "reforms" that could increase the opportunity for fraud and dissolve the integrity of constitutional elections. To counter these dangerous measures, our friends at The Heritage Foundation are proposing seven measures to protect your right to vote and ensure fair, constitutional elections.

They are offering it to readers of The Daily Signal for free today.

Get the details now when you download your free copy of, "Mandate for Leadership: Ensuring the Integrity of Our Election System."
Get Your Free Copy Now

 

6 Things I Saw at Dueling Trump-Biden Rallies in Philadelphia

Katrina Trinko / @KatrinaTrinko / November 07, 2020 / 82 Comments
Supporters celebrating media reports that Joe Biden has won the presidency taunt supporters of Donald Trump from across the street Saturday outside the Philadelphia Convention Center. (Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA—In the City of Brotherly Love, which skews heavily Democrat, there was a lot of rejoicing Saturday—and spewing of hatred of Donald Trump.

Crowds of thrilled Joe Biden supporters—buoyed by media outlets calling the presidential contest for the former vice president—gathered in the blocks around City Hall and the Convention Center, at times breaking into chants of “F— Donald Trump.”

People excitedly honked horns and cheered from the sidewalks. Also at the Convention Center, a smaller crowd, at least by the afternoon, supported Trump.

Here are six takeaways from my afternoon spent observing the dueling crowds.

The left is actively working to undermine the integrity of our elections. Read the plan to stop them now. Learn more now >>

1. After Time in China, This Woman Supports Trump

At the pro-Trump rally, a woman named Michelle told me that she supports Trump because of her experience living in communist China.

Michelle, who did not give her last name and who said she was from outside Philadelphia, said she was worried that if Biden becomes president, the U.S. will skew in the direction of “socialism.”

In China, “people’s voice cannot be heard,” Michelle said. “I think in the future, U.S. will be the same.”

Michelle said she left China 20 years ago “because I want freedom.”

“Because I want to say whatever I want to say,” she added, noting the speech restrictions in China.

2. Strong Antagonism to Trump

Although plenty of people held Biden-Harris signs, many of the homemade signs seemed to be anti-Trump rather than pro-Biden. Here are some of the signs I saw in Philadelphia:

 

 

3. ‘A Gay Patriot, a Gay Trump Supporter’

John McGuigan, who identifies as a “a gay patriot, a gay Trump supporter,” said he is worried about voter fraud.

“These people have committed voter fraud. I believe when the ballots are recounted by hand, Trump will come out victoriously,” said McGuigan, who lives in Cranford, New Jersey.

“There is massive voter fraud throughout this country,” he said. “It’s sickening. I don’t like people who invalidate our election process.”

Speaking of Trump, McGuigan said: “The man believes in marriage equality and gay rights.”

“The media misrepresents him as a homophobe, a racist, and a misogynist,” he added. “All lies.”

When I asked McGuigan how he would talk to LGBT Democrat friends or family, he said:
I just blocked a whole bunch [of them] on Facebook yesterday. I said if you don’t respect my rights to support a man who has done so much for the gay community, I am no longer your friend. And you don’t allow me freedom of choice to vote for the candidate I believe in, we’re done. You’re not going to dictate to me who I should vote for. I just cut them out of my life.

4. Race Remains a Focus

I saw at least one “Black Lives Matter” face mask and a T-shirt.

Chalk on the ground referred to the death of Walter Wallace, a black man killed by two Philadelphia police officers Oct. 26 when he did not drop a knife he was holding despite repeated commands from police to do so. Wallace’s family says he suffered from mental health issues.

5. Obama Voter-Turned-Trump Supporter

Dana P. said he was with the Trump supporters “because I’m a patriot. I love America.”

Dana, who was not comfortable giving his last name, said he previously voted for Barack Obama for president in 2008 and 2012. In prior years, he had voted for Ross Perot, Ralph Nader, and Jimmy Carter.

Why Trump? Dana said he rejected Hillary Clinton in 2016 over her decisions regarding Libya. And this time around he had concerns about Biden’s health and ability to be president for four years.

Dana, who is black, said Trump is “giving black people opportunities.”

“A lot of people would say, if he’s a racist, he’s one of the worst racists that people have ever seen,” Dana added.

6. A City Ready for Violence

There was a strong police presence in Philadelphia, and plenty of businesses near City Hall and the Convention Center were boarded up.