Donald Trump has no authority or power to cancel the upcoming Presidential Election as experts shared. This comes after the American public has reportedly become worried and curious to know if he can do this.
As it happens, the COVID-19 case in the United States has become a huge crisis given that the country is now the epicenter of the pandemic. Currently, the virus has already affected almost 800,000 Americans. It has also killed more than 42,000 people in the country, which is a quarter of the total number of deaths due to the virus all over the globe.
According to The Guardian, the 2020 US Presidential Election is set to happen on November 3. However, with the current social distancing guidelines, and the total lockdown across the states, almost all preparations for the upcoming elections have been either cancelled or postponed.
This is why it is not surprising why many individuals have been asking if Donald Trump would or could postpone the elections. But, as the publication explained, the incumbent President cannot do anything about it since he has no authority over the elections.
Despite having the power and authority over how the country would respond to the pandemic crisis, it was said that the executive branch has no role when it comes to this aspect. It could only be cancelled or delayed depending on the Congress' decision, based on the Constitution.
In the end, Donald Trump and Mike Pence will, reportedly, need to vacate their offices on January 21, 2021, whatever the situation that the United States will face.
In a similar report released by Boston Globe, legal scholars and experts, reportedly, asserted the same things concerning the speculations of whether the incumbent President could delay the upcoming elections. It was said that this is not a matter of his "motives" but, rather, a matter of his "options." In short, Donald Trump has no "say or whatsoever" about the date or process of the elections.
Constitutional and election law expert, Joshua Douglas, and constitutional law professor, Rick Hasan, also, reportedly, shared that even if the incumbent President declares "martial law," he will not have any power to cancel or delay the elections. While this may not necessarily affect the date or the process, both of the experts were said to note that this will certainly affect the result.
The same publication continued to share, though, that if the 2020 Presidential Election will not push through before January 2021, it is expected that things will be very complicated.
