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West Wing Reflections: Episode in 4th season accurately depicts the uncertainty, drama of election night

(Courtesy of NBC)

By Alex Driscoll

Nov. 3, 2020 7:18 p.m.

Garnering 95 Emmy nominations and 26 wins in its seven seasons, “The West Wing” is an NBC television drama that depicts an era in which the president of the United States is a Catholic Democrat and Twitter does not yet exist. Though it premiered back in 1999 and ran until 2006, columnist Alex Driscoll dives into various episodes of the series, putting a twist on a typical review with analysis on how the show reflects today’s political climate.

(Emily Dembinski/Illustrations director)
(Emily Dembinski/Illustrations director)

There is no greater buzz than the energy percolating through Washington D.C. on election night.

The episode of “The West Wing” aptly named “Election Night” offers an inside look at the tangible anxiety felt by its main characters whose White House positions hang in the balance. The season four episode keeps viewers engaged through the final outcome of President Bartlet’s (Martin Sheen) reelection campaign – a plotline extended from season three. As the show’s dynamic characters experience the narrative’s emotional ebb and flow, their anxiety, humor and guilt reflect a sliver of what many Americans feel in the wake of this year’s presidential election.

“Election Night” begins with Communications Director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) who pranks Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) into believing that a group of paid actors have accidentally spoiled their ballots. Lyman overreacts and claims that they’ve all voted incorrectly, and the troupe succeeds in riling him up before the big day. The way “The West Wing” writers utilize humor to fill in the nervous dialogue is a critical theme of the episode, and the idle laughter shared among anxious staffers echoes the millions of Americans switching between news channels and Twitter feeds tonight.

[Related: West Wing Reflections: Complex connection between constituents, officials consumes politics even today]

Aside from monitoring Bartlet’s reelection, the episode also follows a congressional race in Orange County, California, whose unprecedented circumstances highlight how anything can happen on Election Day. When the Democratic candidate in this local election dies unexpectedly, his campaign manager Will Bailey (Joshua Malina) trudges on to finish the election alone amid skeptics from both sides of the aisle. Miraculously, an unrealistic downpour over Orange County helped lower voter turnout, allowing Will to secure a narrow win for his deceased candidate. In turn, the resulting special election begins the eventual departure of Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) from the show.

While television is a mainstay for hyperbolic drama, the alternate realities depicted in “The West Wing” don’t always feel so far-fetched, especially in an election year as abnormal as 2020’s. COVID-19’s socioeconomic impact on the American people has dramatically transformed the nation’s political landscape. And as polling data, social media and the 24/7 news cycle catalyze the need to draw assumptions about the next four years, “Election Night” is another reminder that politics is often unpredictable.

The 2020 election has already seen an immense increase in youth early voter turnout in the days leading up to Election Day. Nic Riani, a campaign coordinator for CALPIRG at UCLA’s New Voters Project and a fourth-year public affairs student, said young people have become more in tune with this year’s election cycle than in previous years. A recent poll from Tufts’ Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement found that 79% of young people believe the COVID-19 pandemic has helped them realize how politics impact their everyday lives.

[Related: West Wing Reflections: The American health care system was as broken in Aaron Sorkin’s script as it is now]

While this might seem like common sense to some, comparable numbers between now and 2016 emphasize the trend. In a poll conducted by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, researchers found that 63% of voters ages 18-29 said they will “definitely be voting” in this year’s election, whereas the number stood at 47% for the same age group in 2016. With more time at home and less of an excuse to avoid registering online and mailing in a ballot, the number of early voters in 2020 have surpassed 2016’s early voting numbers by the millions.

Virtual initiatives to encourage voter participation have also led to ballot selfies, “I Voted” gifs and celebrities modeling clothing plastered with the word “VOTE.” These initiatives are often skewed toward liberal voters, but the overall uptick in digital political discourse is certainly a new kind of campaign.

“This is a very high profile election, so it’s already gotten a lot of attention on social media,” Riani said. “But I also think young voters are starting to understand how their vote translates to the real world, and that is a pretty powerful motivator.”

Back when “The West Wing” first aired, the internet was in its early stages and candidates still spent half their time on the campaign trail shaking hands. Yet even with the internet capable of determining political affiliation based on browser history, voters today still feel insecurity over which party will come out on top.

In fact, in preparation for uncertain election results, Washington D.C. – notorious for being the heart of United States politics – implemented additional precautions by boarding up storefronts and increasing police presence. Similar preemptive security measures are taking place in other cities like New York City and Los Angeles, emphasizing the country’s contentious political divide. But even through the mounting anxiety of what 2020’s election night has in store, Riani said the virtual process has a silver lining when it comes to the long-term representation of America’s voter population.

“Young people are on the front lines advocating for the issues that they care most about,” Riani said. “Regardless of who wins, that kind of upward trend in younger voting is changing the overall demographic for the better.”

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