ELECTION FALLOUT FEARS

Top business leaders in the U.S. issued a statement last Thursday warning that following Election Day in the U.S., the outcome could take a heavy toll on the economy and markets.
The CEOs also voiced concerns to the Financial Times if election results are drawn out and disputed.
And, as we reported, there is particular concern over the issue of mail-in ballots. Indeed, during the 29 September presidential debate, President Trump disparaged mail-in ballots as being “manipulated” and said there “is going to be a fraud like you’ve never seen.” He said, “Get rid of the ballots and you’ll have a very peaceful – there won’t be a transfer, frankly.”
Last week in Chicago, there were reports of long lines of angry voters waiting hours to vote and equipment malfunctions for voters attempting to cast an in-person ballot.
The Chicago Tribune reported that since 1 October, more than 13,000 residents in Chicago have voted. More than 120,000 of the nearly 500,000 that applied for mail-in ballots have already returned them, which the Tribune said surpasses the city’s previous record of 118,000.
In Ohio, Fox News reported about 50,000 voters in Franklin County received incorrect ballots, an issue that election officials blamed on a glitch. The report said about 1.9 million Ohioans requested an absentee ballot in the primary last April. About 2.5 million requested absentee ballots for the November election.
The Associated Press reported more than 28 million Americans have already cast their ballots as of Monday.
At Work Divided
Also noted in the business leader’s statement – that was signed by former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and LinkedIn’s co-founder Reid Hoffman – is the sharp division in the country. Those political views are now being fervently espoused in the workplace.
Harvard Business Review ran an article last week that said the workplace is where many Americans will report the morning after the election to voice satisfaction or dismay about the results. The magazine warned that if experts are correct and the counting of mail-in ballots continue beyond Election Day, “Companies will face the potential of a roiled workplace for weeks and possibly even months.”
TRENDPOST: While the current political split has widened in the workforce as a result of the sharp divisiveness between the candidates, politics during a presidential election is always a topic of discussion.
While issues such as Black Lives Matter, protests, and police shootings are sensitive office topics today, during the Vietnam War years and the Chicago riots, the 1968 Democratic National Convention was much more heated than what today’s Silicon Valley crew deem divisive.
TREND FORECAST: As we noted in last week’s Trends Journal, there have been mail-in ballot problems in a number of states, including NY, MN, and NC. On Friday, it was reported that in Pennsylvania, some 336,000 were rejected because a box was not properly checked. Thus, we maintain our forecast, which business leaders fear, that it may be months before it is known – and accepted – which contestant won the 2020 Presidential Reality Show^®.