ATLANTA — As the country heads into Election Day, there is only one thing that experts say is for certain — and that is to expect the unexpected.
Georgia State University constitutional law professor Eric Segall said he is concerned about Tuesday’s election.
“I’m very worried,” Segall said. “In my lifetime, we’ve not been at this moment in time.”
Segall told Channel 2′s Audrey Washington that he doesn’t believe the country will know who won the presidency on election night. Instead, he thinks because of military, absentee and early votes, the results will take days and maybe even weeks.
Channel 2 Action News will have live streaming election coverage starting at 7 p.m. as results come in. Download the WSB Now app on your Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV to watch LIVE.
“Hopefully, Americans will wait until every vote is counted, and the deadline for that is in the second week of December or so,” Segall said.
As for when the votes are counted, Washington asked what could happen if the results in a particular state were contested.
“They’re going to argue that the legislature gets to override what the popular vote was,” Segall said.
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The professor told Washington that the worst scenario is for the case to go before the United States Supreme Court.
He fears chaos could break out because he believes that kind of situation would only cause more division in a country that’s already on edge.
“It won’t be about law. It will be about politics,” Segall said.
GEORGIA VOTER GUIDE:
- INTERACTIVE MAP: Where can I drop off my absentee ballot in metro Atlanta?
- What To Know About Voting in Person in Georgia
- Amendments and resolutions on Georgia ballot: What do they mean?
- Georgia Voters: What’s on my ballot for the November 2020 election?
- Electoral College: How does it work; what happens if there is a tie?
Either way, the professor said it’s important voters reject possible voter intimidation, stay in the line and make their voices heard at the polls.
“It’s not just a duty — it’s a privilege. There are a lot of countries where you don’t get to vote,” Segall said. “I would like to think that our state will conduct Election Day professionally, with integrity and in a way where every vote matters.”
He said because this is such a contentious election, it will be best for one of the candidates to win overwhelmingly to stop any challenges over the integrity of the election.
As of Monday, nearly 100 million people had already voted across the country.
