Election Preparation

post by jefftk (jkaufman) · 2020-10-15T20:30:03.278Z · LW · GW · 4 comments

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Historically, uncertainty about who is the rightful leader has often led to violence. While I think the most likely outcome for the coming election in the US is a peaceful transition from Trump to Biden, the range of possibilities is wide enough that it's worth making some preparations for worse outcomes.

The most likely risk to me seems to be supply chain disruptions. If things go poorly, staying home is probably going to be your best option, and you want to have whatever supplies you need on hand so that you don't have to go out. This is always good policy, but is especially important if there is a potential disaster you can see coming. Make sure you have enough food, refills on medicines, and spares for critical items (glasses, medical equipment). If there are things that you usually purchase in a "just in time" manner, buy ahead. Think through things you might be going to want and consider getting them now instead. Check in with friends and relatives and make sure they're in an ok spot.

I think there is also some risk of rioting and fires, especially on election night or perhaps after a court verdict is announced. If you have a car, making sure you have a full tank of gas is worth it. Aside from that, however, I think planning for riots is not that different for planning for supply issues. If you would be considering participating in riots, you would probably also want to plan in advance for any gear you might want.

Someone who was much more risk averse than I am, or who anticipated a much worse outcome, might consider making plans to be in a remote area, or outside the country. I'd recommend against buying firearms: there's a lot of practice that goes into using them well, and if you don't know what you're doing you're probably going to make things worse.

As someone who would like to see Biden elected, and expects you do as well, I think the most important thing to do is to vote. A clear victory is hard to dispute.

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comment by anon03 · 2020-10-16T11:10:15.313Z · LW(p) · GW(p)

I'd recommend against buying firearms: there's a lot of practice that goes into using them well, and if you don't know what you're doing you're probably going to make things worse.

Anyone know anything about buying pepper spray??

comment by Stuart Anderson (stuart-anderson) · 2020-10-16T05:04:44.184Z · LW(p) · GW(p)

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Replies from: Viliam
↑ comment by Viliam · 2020-10-16T17:06:26.458Z · LW(p) · GW(p)

Are these really the best candidates you could come up with?

I don't remember the exact words, but there is a saying that people who want power are exactly the ones who shouldn't get it. By that logic, any system where people compete for the power is dysfunctional, because first it filters the candidates by criteria you probably wouldn't approve of... and only then allows you to pick among the remaining options that often all suck.

Not being an American, I have no idea who Biden is... he seems like some generic non-Trump. But by the logic of the system, he must be someone who defeated his competitors (within the Democratic Party). This is not an ability that would make anyone like him. I mean, if you prefer Republicans, you won't vote for him anyway; and if you prefer Democrats, then "being able to defeat Democrats" is not exactly the thing you want more of. Nonetheless, this is a precondition for getting to the final round. Being able to defeat people on your side is more important than being able to defeat people on the other side, because if you fail at the former, you won't get a chance to do the latter.

A different voting system -- for example one where anyone can give a vote to any number of candidates, and the one with most votes wins -- would deliver a different kind of candidates. (Not necessarily better; the new system could have new weaknesses.)