This story is part of Elections 2020, CNET’s coverage of the run-up to voting in November.
While the US waits to find out who won the contentious 2020 presidential election, it can be hard to find the lighter side of the news. So give thanks for the social media pundits who found humor in a serious situation that seems to have no end in sight.
Each of the battleground states that still appear to be up for grabs (Arizona has been called by some media outlets but not others) is receiving its share of jabs. Some were creatively state-centric, some worked for more than one location. Let’s just say, there were a lot of sightings of Flash, the DMV worker sloth from the movie Zootopia, reimagined as a ballot counter.
Nevada: What a gamble
The state most ripe for jokes is Nevada, thanks in part to it being the home to always outlandish Las Vegas and its gambling, entertainment-focused, 24/7 culture.
“Literally the two things Nevada is known for is COUNTING THINGS and STAYING UP ALL NIGHT!!!!” wrote one Twitter user.
Wrote another, “If I’ve learned anything from watching movies set in Vegas, it’s that Nevada gambled away all the ballots and for the last two days they’ve been attempting a series of wacky schemes and heists to win them back while also pretending they never lost them.”
If I’ve learned anything from watching movies set in Vegas, it’s that Nevada gambled away all the ballots and for the last two days they’ve been attempting a series of whacky schemes and heists to win them back while also pretending they never lost them.
— A Very Salty Snail (@SnailSaltt) November 5, 2020
nevada waking up, hitting the snooze button a few more times, vaguely aware they have something to do today but can’t quite remember what…
— Alise Morales (@AliseNavidad) November 5, 2020
NEVADA. You can count a 6-deck blackjack card shoe in 3 minutes. $500,000 worth of casino chips in about 40 seconds, and 385 dollars in strippers’ 1’s in the time it takes to play an Ariana Grande track in the champagne room. It’s been 24 hours. Count your damn ballots.
— Ian Bohen (@IanBohen) November 5, 2020
Count faster!
But the other battleground states — Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina — came in for their share of jabs, too. One tweet depicted four of the five states as the Golden Girls, yelling at Betty White’s Rose to “get to the point!”
as a lifelong pennsylvanian who has seen multiple heated arguments break out over gas station hoagies i can say with certainty that you guys really should not put us in charge of choosing the president
— Brian Grubb (@briancgrubb) November 3, 2020
.@realdonaldtrump please DM, we have FRESH evidence from West Philadelphia that a couple of guys are up to no good, starting to make trouble in the neighborhood
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) November 6, 2020
The fate of the country in the hands of Pennsylvania? Are we sure? Because I went to high school with some of these people and I just don’t know
— cam (@magickbullet) November 4, 2020
Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvanian right now counting their votes. pic.twitter.com/iOCJ0cPTx6
— stєphαníє💎Happy TOP day!💚Elderwol🏳️🌈 (@Iluvyou2109) November 5, 2020
If I could be as late to work as Nevada/Arizona are….
— Baes and Memes Committee Chair (@PatStevens31) November 6, 2020
North Carolina when they all of a sudden go blue for Biden while everyone is posting Nevada memes and waiting for Pennsylvania and Georgia to flip. pic.twitter.com/nkxLFhEWrf
— Phil (@MTL_WINGS) November 6, 2020
And there was even some competition among the states for who was most meme-able.
why aren’t Georgia’s election memes as good as Nevada’s
— Charlie Gile (@CharlieGileNBC) November 6, 2020
Nevada’s population could fit in my bedroom and their economy is built on card games. It’s inherently funny.
— OceanOperative (@OceanOperative) November 6, 2020
How long has this been going on?
Some of the best memes, however, aren’t state-specific, they’re just expressing the mood of the times.
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich coined a new phrase, writing, “I remain nauseously optimistic.”
Anybody else feel like we’re at a gender reveal party that will definitely end with a fire?
— Matt “The Ostrich” Mitchell (@ALostrich) November 3, 2020
If your election lasts more than 48 hours, seek medical attention
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) November 5, 2020
Anything good on TV tonight? In the mood for something with map-based info graphics explaining why the amount of votes a candidate gets has little to nothing to do with who becomes president
— pat regan (@poregan) November 4, 2020
I became a journalist because I can’t do math. I was told there would be no math.
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) November 5, 2020
It just occurred to me that this election is following the plot of The Notebook:
– A white house
– Mail that wasn’t received
– A lot of fighting
– It wasn’t over
– It still isn’t over pic.twitter.com/5fXL0Qx2Nb— Toby Herman (@tobyherman27) November 5, 2020
Hang in there, America. There’s no end in sight.