By Mary O’KEEFE

It has been an election season that seemed to last far longer than any other election season to date. And it is still not over as the ballot counting continues in several states including, as of press time, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Nevada. Lawyers from both sides of the aisle are getting ready to respond to … whatever happens.

President Donald Trump’s campaign has approached the Supreme Court to challenge a decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that allows ballots to be counted after Election Day if postmarked by Election Day.

The volatile election season has caused many businesses around the country to board up their windows as a precaution against possible violence depending on who wins the Presidency and, for the first time in a U.S. election, there are “no climb fences” surrounding the White House.

Locally, there were some hard fought battles including between Representative Adam Schiff and challenger attorney Eric Early.

Early, a strong supporter of President Trump, was very forceful in his criticisms of Schiff.

“I have never had an opponent engage is [such] bitter and acrimonious [dialogue],” Schiff said.

Schiff said he is concerned that this may set precedents for the tone of elections to come, not just locally but in other parts of the country.

“I was heartened it was so roundly rejected,” he said of the negative talk.

As of Wednesday at 2:07 a.m., according to the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Office, Democrat Schiff had 74.06% of the vote, and Republican Early had 25.94%, that is a 126,307 vote gap between them.

Schiff is looking toward the future and, as of Wednesday, was optimistic that Vice President Joe Biden will win the Presidency; however, he is looking at both scenarios.

His priorities though will remain the same regardless of the Presidential outcome.

“My focus will be getting help to my constituents whose businesses are going under,” he said.

Adding he will focus on additional help via the CARES Act and said he hopes Senator Mitch McConnell will move toward helping Americans with another round of financial support.

Schiff added he considers the biggest consequence of the election, if President Trump is successful, will be the continued denial of how serious the pandemic is and how it is affecting people.

“It’s whether we treat this [COVID-19] like a war effort,” he said of the government’s response to the pandemic.
He will continue to work to end the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

As of Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 2:07 a.m. other election results in LA County include:
State Senate:
Anthony Portantino 66.26%
Kathleen Hazelton 33.74%
State Assembly:
Laura Friedman 71.26%
Mike Graves 28.74%
State Measure 14:
52.41% Yes
47.59% No
State Measure 15:
53.26 Yes
46.74% No
State Measure 16:
51.57% Yes
48.43% No
State Measure 17:
65.45% Yes
34.55% No
State Measure 18:
52.28% Yes
47.72% No
State Measure 19:
49.97% Yes
50.03% No
State Measure 20:
34.25% Yes
65.75% No
State Measure 21:
49.25% Yes
50.75% No
State Measure 22:
55.19% Yes
44.81% No
State Measure 23:
40.12% Yes
59.88% No
State Measure 24:
59.42% Yes
40.58% No
State Measure 25:
45.63% Yes
54.37% No
Presidential race:
Joseph Biden received 71.58% of the popular vote
Donald Trump received 26.60%
County Measure J
57.08% Yes
42.92% No
District Attorney:
George Gascón received 53.81% of the vote
Jackie Lacey received 46.19%

For more information, visit www.lavote.net.