Wisconsin held its primary earlier this month and it was a Corona virus fueled nightmare. While Wisconsin voters were under a legal directive to stay at home, the Republican majorities in the legislature refused to make any accommodations to increase the use of mail-in ballots. Poll workers quit in droves and polling places were closed across the state. Republican dominated Courts refused to allow a delay in voting or an adjustment to mail-in balloting rules. In Milwaukee, 180 polling places were consolidated into just five. Lines snaked for blocks. Voters waited hours to cast their votes under conditions that could have spread the corona virus to many who simply wanted to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
The COVID-19 pandemic will still be with us in November. Indeed, many experts believe that fall of 2020 will see a second wave of the pandemic which may be more severe in parts of the country that have been relatively unaffected up to now. If we don’t act immediately to develop alternative ways to vote, the nightmare Wisconsin primary will become the template for the 2020 general election.
American elections are extremely complex undertakings. They are conducted by county election officials and overseen by state governments according to state and national rules. Every level of government is involved and no one has complete authority. We must mobilize at every level of government to ensure a fair and open election.
In this time of “stay at home” orders and sudden extreme unemployment, two institutions essential to fair and accessible voting are under enormous financial stress - state governments and the US Postal Service. Republicans have called for the dissolution of the USPS and Mitch McConnell has said that states should undergo bankruptcy. These are apocalyptic and frankly insane solutions that would not only threaten fair elections but could also eliminate millions of jobs and deny other millions of retired workers - teachers, social workers, police and prison guards - their pensions.
Now is the time to demand that Congress provide full funding for the 2020 national election and support safe voting at the local, state and national levels. This requires that states receive financial aid to continue their vital functions while their revenues collapse. Likewise, Congress must provide operating funds for the USPS so that a mail-in election remains viable.
Research the rules that govern your state’s 2020 general election. Only six states mail a ballot to every registered voter. Even the most inclusive states have restrictions that discourage some voters and lower the return rate - requiring postage, limiting how to mail or return the ballot and only counting ballots received (rather than postmarked) by election day. Another 28 states allow a voter to ask for a mail ballot without giving a reason – a no excuse absentee ballot. The 16 states that require restrictive excuses to receive a mail ballot include Texas, Alabama and Florida which play important roles in the Presidential and Senate races. Every state should provide every registered voter with a mail-in ballot and cover the postage.
Finally, there are people who will want to vote in person. They should have that right. To make it a reality there must be sufficient polling places for the local population. To make walk-in voting a reasonable prospect in 2020 we will also need new larger polling places and a new generation of election workers. The vast majority of current election workers are over the age of 65 and most are at risk from the virus. We must find new people to staff the polls - civil service workers and students might well fill this important need.
There is something for everyone to do here from now until November. Let’s get to work securing a free, safe, and fair vote in 2020.
Call To Action
Call your Senators and Representatives on both sides of the aisle. Let them know that Congress must immediately appropriate money that adequately funds:
all state expenses for conducting the 2020 general election, and
the United States Postal Service.
Find the rules that govern your state’s election and tell your state legislators and election officials that you want:
universal no-excuse mail-in ballots sent to every registered voter, return postage provided by the state, and
all ballots counted that are postmarked by election day.
Write or call your representatives and demand guaranteed safe access to election day polling by:
extending days and hours for early voting including weekends,
providing a sufficient number of well staffed, COVID-19 safe polling places,
recruiting a new generation of poll workers, and
providing curbside voting sites for those who choose to vote on election day.
For more information and background on this issue, check out this article from the Brennan Center