Dear Editor,
I continue to read articles claiming that the presidential election was a landslide, when that is inaccurate and misleading. The majority of Americans (50.15%) did not vote for the presidentelect. Tthese are the election results for the two major candidates based on the latest popular vote update from the Cook Political Report: Trump 49.83% Harris 48.28% I agree with Senator Lankford's statement in his Lankford Letter in the Watonga Republican Nov. 20 that 'fight(ing) each other through the press' threatens more division. Interestingly Lankford begins his letter with the claim the people sent a 'resounding message to Washington, DC' and that the 'Biden-Harris agenda was rejected overwhelmingly'.
In the interest of not fighting through the press, it feels imperative to not misrepresent data and to not provide a false narrative of American opinion. Given the divided voting, the first step toward considering and understanding one another and the consequences of the legislative change for all Americans is to provide data without creating a narrative that perpetuates division.
Leadership's job is to unite the country at a time when we are divided. Let's find common ground on which to move forward, starting with a commitment to focusing on facts and the accurate interpretation of information.
Sharon Tomlinson, OKC Editor’s note: The Associated Press shows Trump with 50% of the popular vote and Harris with 48.4%. CNN has essentially the same popular vote for the candidates as the writer referenced from Cook Political Reports, but also shows four Senate seats going from Democrat to Republican, while the House elections turned eight each from one party to the other. Harris carried 20 states, leaving Trump with 30 in the electoral process.