Political science scholars unpack the 2020 election

Chapman political science faculty members John Compton, Lori Cox Han and Kyle Longley discuss the 2020 election results and explore the future of U.S. politics in a Nov. 10 town hall. Unsplash

The 2020 general election was a spectacle, and three political science professors at Chapman University sat in the Nov. 10 town hall event to unpack it all. In an event titled “Ask the Experts: U.S. Election Analysis, One Week Later,” moderator Jennifer Keene, the dean of the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, asked Chapman professors Lori Cox Han, John Compton and Kyle Longley for their perspectives on the events following the 2020 general election.

To break down the election and its implications on the future of the nation, Keene asked a series of questions to each respective panelist that touched on topics like the historical role of the electoral college, gender, race and polling. Panelists pondered what the future holds for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and further analyzed national voter behavior.

“I’m really surprised that (Democrats) thought they could flip (South Carolina) to blue or that they could flip Texas blue,” Han said. “Democrats were on a fool’s errand with some of the races, especially with the amount of money that was spent on campaigning.”

Compton expressed disbelief at the sheer amount of split-ticket voting, as many congressional districts held tight races that illustrated a two to three percent divide amongst the two major party platforms. Contrastly, Han theorized many citizens are starting to compartmentalize the way they view President Donald Trump, distinguishing his individual persona from his political campaign, which still garnered over 73.1 million votes in the 2020 election according to The Associated Press.

With Trump obtaining the most votes for a sitting president in history, and Biden further succeeding him by over 5 million more votes, the 2020 general election brought out a record number of voters – a feat that Longely and Compton believed was to be expected.

“We’re seeing numbers that we haven't seen since the 20th century,” Longley said. “This percentage of people actively involved and the total numbers that Biden will likely win with are significant, and that's a healthy sign for our democracy.”

However, Compton explained a high voter turnout isn’t always a positive sign for democracy, instead arguing it could also be a sign that the public feels obligated to vote based on the stakes, rather than personal voter preference.

Another question tackled the contemporary purpose of the Electoral College and why its opposition is mostly ignored on a federal level. Han explained that abolishing the Electoral College would be an arduous challenge, as the system is often the only representation for small states.

“For large states, why would they want to give up influence?” Han said. “And, for swing states, nobody wants their state to stop being the place where everyone campaigns and spends money on campaign activities.” 

Many are expecting the president-elect to nominate individuals to leadership positions that can represent different genders, races and ethnicities more accurately. The Associated Press reported that Biden is expected to select a woman to lead the Pentagon’s operations. Similarly, many are anticipating Joe Biden’s cabinet to reflect the country as a whole, with both women and people of color in leadership positions. 

One of these individuals includes Harris, the first South Asian American woman to become vice president in U.S. history. 

“It took until I was 54 years old and the year 2020 until we elected the first woman as vice president,” Han said. “Both Democrats and Republicans overlooked an awful lot of qualified women over the years, and it's hugely historic that we are about to see the first female vice president sworn into office, and she’s also a woman of color.” 

As for the future of Biden, his presidency and Trump’s claims of voter fraud, Han recommends not to believe everything reported in the news – warning audience members that everybody has an angle they’re playing up. Han also said that many lawsuits Trump has filed may be dismissed very quickly, after which it will be clear that Trump has to concede the presidential race. 

“Hopefully he will concede and we can move forward,” Han said. “A lot of things can happen in a presidential transition, and we’re still very early in the process. It's not yet time to panic.”