BIG FACT$: WHAT ARE THE COSTS OF THE 2020 ELECTION?

It’s not a stretch to say that many (if not most) of us are feeling taxed by the 2020 election. When you try calculating the actual cost, you quickly see it’s not just our levels of energy, and the toll taken on mental and emotional well-being, but there’s also the actual money part.

Here are 5 sets of numbers that provide a bit of a look into election expenses for our democratic system.

$14 billion: That’s according to a report from the Center for Responsive Politics’ website OpenSecrets.org. Estimates at the beginning of October were closer to $10B, which was already way past 2016’s $6.5B total. 

$5.5 billion: How much money has been spent by Democratic campaigns and Dem-aligned groups, compared to $3.8 spent by Republicans, which is apparently the largest political spending advantage ever. 

$1.8 billion: The average amount presidential campaigns have spent on media exposure since 2000. That’s more than half of the $2.4B presidential campaigns spent in total since Bush v. Gore.

$74 million: The amount of money Wall Street has given Joe Biden. It’s about $13M less than what Hillary Clinton pulled from big bank donors in 2016’s race, but far more than the $18M Donald Trump has received. 

$30.3 million: The total amount of money received by all candidates from Georgia donors. That number is almost double the $17.6 million raised in 2016. 

As you can see, freedom ain’t free. Here in America we pay the cost to cast the ballot — some of us more than others.

But let’s also acknowledge the fact that the expenses are bigger than money, and we’re all paying for this exercise in democratic participation in more ways than what a dollar is worth.

You’ve gotta take care of yourself. Election year stress, added to 2020’s exposure of racial injustice and the need for police reform, along with the pandemic’s effects on culture definitely come with certain mental, emotional and even societal costs. 

All of this can lead to physical ailments — stress plays a big role in physical health, you know — and that means more of us will find ourselves in less-than-optimal bodily condition if we’re not careful. And with health care being such a politicized topic, you can see how this becomes a cycle of destruction that not only hits the pockets but also the physique. 

No one can force you to align with any political candidate or party, and of course nobody can force you to vote. Some would say that’s part of the beauty of the U.S. government system, and the “American experiment,” but that’s not to say voting isn’t a responsibility and the duty of citizenship for all Americans. 

As Thomas Jefferson once said (and was quoted on the side of an Atlanta-based beer), “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” 

So if you haven’t already, put a few dollars worth of gas in your tank or trips on your MARTA card, pack a bag with a facemask, some hand sanitizer, a good book, a portable phone charger, some snacks and maybe an umbrella or folding chair, and get your booty to the poll.