Thread by @beckerdavidj

I completely understand how hard it is for some to process the idea that their candidate lost an election. In fact, there's hardly anyone in America who hasn't suffered a devastating electoral loss in the last 4 years. But we also have to try to understand some basic facts. /1

It is possible for your candidate to lose. We live in a very closely divided nation, and many of us don't live around people who don't agree with us politically. But they exist. And they vote. And they're patriotic Americans just like the rest of us. /2

We choose to live in media silos that just tell us what we want to hear. When our candidate loses, and we're upset about that, it's natural to retreat to these silos to hear comforting words. But it's also toxic. Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum. /3

We need to hear facts that challenge our perceptions, particularly because we're so siloed. Our enemies want us to silo. They can control us if we retreat into silos. They can divide us further if we refuse to be challenged by facts that may cause us some temporary pain. /4

So here are facts about the election, certified by Republicans and Democrats, and confirmed by courts. And as someone who stood up for the fairness of the 2016 election, when Trump won, and the 2020 election, when he lost, you can be sure they're accurate: /5

1. The machines didn't rig the election. We have 95% paper ballots. Those paper ballots have undergone 100% bipartisan human review in GA, and audits are happening elsewhere. If the machines malfunctioned, the paper would show it, and instead, it's confirming the results. /6

2. The machines that conspiracy theorists are complaining about are also used in states Trump won handily, including AK, FL, IA, KS, LA, MO, OH, and TN. Think about that -- Florida and Ohio! All have been federally certified. /7

3. There were not more voters than eligible citizens, anywhere. When the Trump campaign tried to make this claim in MI, they accidentally used data from MN instead! These claims have failed and been debunked, repeatedly. /8

4a. There was not some magical data dump of Biden votes late at night. Republican legislators in MI, PA, and WI refused to let election off'ls process mail/absentee ballots early, as they do in other R-led states like OH and FL. /9

4b. It took some time to count those mail/absentee ballots, particularly in large counties where there were a lot of them. Election officials reported those ballots when they were finished, and there were often a lot to report. /10

4c. This process is entirely normal, and was supervised by bipartisan teams and observers from both campaigns. This is why you don't see the Trump campaign making this claim in court. It would be a disbarrable offense for an attorney to make such a false claim. /11

5a. Mail ballots go through an extensive identity validation regime. They are only counted if all the info on the envelope matches. In GA, for instance, they went through 2 signature checks, with election off'ls trained by the GA Bureau of Investigation. /12

5b. Once all the info on a mail ballot is confirmed, it is separated from the envelope, to maintain secrecy, and counted. Campaigns were aware and present during this process. Anyone seeking to go back and check signatures on envelopes now doesn't respect the secret ballot. /13

6. Trump actually did MUCH BETTER in big cities in 2020 than in 2016. He got more votes, and a higher percentage of votes, in Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Wayne (Detroit) counties in 2020, than he did in 2016. He lost those states because he lost the suburbs badly. /14

7. Trump has lost nearly every post-election case he brought. He knew the rules beforehand, and lost by those rules. Every court, every judge (even some appointed by Trump) has laughed their cases and their "evidence" out of court. There is no master strategy here. /15

8. Perhaps most importantly, election officials and volunteer workers are our friends, family members, and neighbors. They are Rs, and they are Ds. They are a diverse group. But one thing they have in common is a dedication to fair and transparent elections. /16

It's hard to lose an election, and it's comforting to find solace in media that tells us what we want to hear. But it's poisonous, as much now for those who support Trump as it was in 2016 for those who opposed Trump and denied he won (I was not among them). /17

Our enemies, and those who seek to divide and monetize us to line their pockets know this. They want to keep you siloed. Resist that temptation, and seek out information from unlikely sources, even if you disagree with them. Regardless of where you are politically. /18

It's true that this election was secure, and fair, despite tremendous challenges. It's true that Trump got the second most votes ever for a presidential candidate. And it's also true that Biden got 6M more votes than Trump did, and won the electoral college by a large margin. /19

So please break out of your silos. Resist the claims of those who seek to control, divide, and profit off of you. Listen to the patriots in both parties who've worked to secure this election, and who successfully facilitated true democracy during this difficult year. /END