Vote by Mail: A Public Safety Issue Turned Political by Will Woodring

Vote by Mail: A Public Safety Issue Turned Political

By Will Woodring

On April 7^th, 2020, the state of Wisconsin held their presidential primary election in person, despite the fact that COVID-19 cases were at an all-time high in the United States. Just days before, the state Supreme Court of Wisconsin ruled against allowing the state to vote by mail. The National Bureau of Economic Research found that there was a “significant association” between in person voting and the spread of COVID-19.

Problems like those in Wisconsin continued to plague primary elections during June, where many states faced heat from the media on their responses. According to a press release from Freedom House, the Georgia primary caused long lines at polling places as well as reports that absentee ballots that were not sent.

The White House quickly spoke on the matter, with President Trump claiming that vote by mail leads to voter fraud. This led to many states to reexamine how to safely allow their citizens to vote.

An entire community sharing a space to vote could cause an obvious danger, but is it legal to change the way we vote?

President Trump’s statements about vote by mail have politicized an issue originally meant to keep people safe while allowing them to exercise the right to vote. As a result, traditionally blue states such as Massachusetts have allowed it while red states, like Alabama, have taken other approaches. Both of these issues have put campaigns in a unique spot while they are still attempting to navigate campaigning virtually.

As it is difficult to look at all states, let’s look specifically at Massachusetts and Alabama as general examples for blue and red states respectively. Alabama has a republican “trifecta,” meaning that both the house and senate, and the governor are all republicans (ballotpedia). In Massachusetts, the Democratic Party has a supermajority in both the house and the senate (Ma Legislature). While Massachusetts does have a republican governor, the state is still consistently blue in all other aspects.

Here in Massachusetts, the State Legislature passed a law at the beginning of July that called for absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in the Commonwealth. (Massachusetts Secretary of State). Voters can request a ballot for the September 1^st State Primary, the November General Election, or both by filling out the application and mailing it back to the state.

In Alabama, however, vote by mail works a little differently. While voters still technically have the ability to vote from home, it is only in the form of absentee ballots. Voters must request the ballot, and it is up to state officials to decide whether their application is accepted (Alabama Sec. State). This makes receiving a ballot much more difficult, and could lead to a further outbreak if people decide to vote in person.

It is also interesting to note that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts made information about voting very clear and obvious on the Secretary of State’s website, while it was much more difficult to find information about Alabama’s policy.

So why did Massachusetts rush to introduce vote by mail while Alabama chose not to?

The answer may be simple: The Presidential Election. The Trump Administration quickly claimed that vote by mail would ruin the integrity of the election. Trump himself claimed that “MILLIONS OF MAIL IN BALLOTS WILL BE PRINTED BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES AND OTHERS” (twitter, @realdonaldtrump).

Experts have reported numerous times that vote by mail doesn’t cause increases in voter fraud. In an interview with the University of Chicago News, Professor Anthony Fowler said that while polls have shown the general public has less faith in voting by mail, it does not actually lead to an increase in voter fraud. He also said that the political effects of vote by mail are neutral, meaning it does not give an advantage to either party.

However, President Trump is no stranger to ignoring the advice of experts, especially when it comes to COVID-19. During a press conference, Trump asked a team of experts if injecting disinfectants or ultraviolet light into patients’ lungs could help combat coronavirus (National Post). This idea was not only wrong but dangerous, as doing so can cause serious injury.

Democrats fear that the Trump Re-election Campaign is planting the idea in order to challenge the electoral process in November (NPR). As a result, traditionally blue states have allowed for vote by mail, while red states have chosen to side with the President against it. Taking this partisan view on vote by mail causes a dangerous dialogue based on political differences rather than what is safe.

There are reports of foreign interference in US elections not through vote by mail, but through social media. Most campaigning is taking place online due to the pandemic, and this does open campaigns up to false information attacks similar to what happened in 2016 (Washington Post). More than anything, this shows the importance of using reliable news sources and fact checking information.

Works Cited

@realdonaldtrump, “RIGGED 2020 ELECTION: MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WILL BE PRINTED BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES, AND OTHERS. IT WILL BE THE SCANDAL OF OUR TIMES!” 22 June 2020, 7:16 AM EST.

Legislators, www.malegislature.gov/Legislators/.

Sec.state.ma.us, www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/covid-19/covid-19.htm.

“Absentee Voting Information.” Alabama Secretary of State, www.sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/absentee-voting.

“Alabama State Legislature.” Ballotpedia, ballotpedia.org/Alabama_State_Legislature.

Brean, Joseph. “’A Matter of Trust’: COVID-19 Pandemic Has Tested Public Confidence in Science like Never Before.” National Post, National Post, 8 May 2020, www.nationalpost.com/news/a-matter-of-trust-covid-19-pandemic-has-tested-public-confidence-in-science-like-never-before

Brigitte Hugh, Anna O. Pechenkina. “Analysis | More Online Campaigning in 2020 May Invite More Foreign Interference in the U.S. Election.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 14 May 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/14/more-online-campaigning-2020-may-invite-more-foreign-interference-us-election/.

Cotti, Chad D, et al. “The Relationship between In-Person Voting and COVID-19: Evidence from the Wisconsin Primary.” NBER, 14 May 2020, www.nber.org/papers/w27187.

Morgan, Billy. “Why Fears about Voting by Mail Are Unfounded.” University of Chicago News, news.uchicago.edu/story/does-voting-mail-increase-risk-voter-fraud.

Parks, Miles. “FACT CHECK: Trump Spreads Unfounded Claims About Voting By Mail.” NPR, NPR, 22 June 2020, www.npr.org/2020/06/22/881598655/fact-check-trump-spreads-unfounded-claims-about-voting-by-mail.

“United States: Messy Georgia Primary Should Be a Wake-Up Call before November’s National Elections.” Freedom House, www.freedomhouse.org/article/united-states-messy-georgia-primary-should-be-wake-call-novembers-national-elections