Weekly Message, Election Edition, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020

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Dear Physics Community,

The election is tomorrow, and this week may be tumultuous.  I am hopeful but will not make predictions. If you are interested in the electoral college’s details, the Congressional Research Service has a report here on the college and a timeline here.  The timeline is two pages and well worth reading.

Everyone in the community feels a great deal of stress and concern – there is just no way around it.  For myself, I am so distracted that I have trouble typing.  I know this feeling will pass, but it is upsetting anyway.

I am asking all of us to, when appropriate, to acknowledge these feelings in others as we try to go about our business.  Just hearing someone say they know you are having strong feelings helps and is necessary in many cases.  A simple sentence like, “I know you are worried.” helps.  Expressing your feelings briefly can also help too.

This week is probably not a good time to be making important decisions that could be put off until next week.  Similarly, it may be good to postpone difficult meetings or discussions to make some time to live in the present.

Some nuts and bolts things about presidential elections: a network may call an election, or a candidate may claim victory, but these do not mean anything.  Formally, the outcome of a presidential election is not known for at least several days as state election commissions meet, tally, and certify their state’s votes.  The Electoral College does not meet until January to make their final decision.  In between, there can be challenges, court decisions that are formal decision-making processes with specific outcomes.  The media may provide plenty of distraction, and “analysis” can cause further stress.  My suggestion is to try to limit your news intake as much as you can for the next week.

If you are interested in the electoral college’s details, the Congressional Research Service has a report here on the college and a timeline here.  The timeline is two pages and well worth reading.

If you need help:

We will all get through whatever this is and gather together later in the week.  Good luck to all of us.

Peter