Changes to absentee/mail-in voting procedures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

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The page was created in April 2020 to address the expansion of absentee/mail-in voting procedures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It is preserved here for archival purposes.

See the sections below for additional information.


Temporary modifications to absentee/mail-in voting procedures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

The map and table below summarize modifications made to absentee/mail-in voting procedures in the 2020 general election.

Absentee/mail-in voting procedure modifications for the general election, 2020
State Voting-age population Description
Alabama 3,814,879 Absentee/mail-in voting eligibility requirements suspended, allowing all voters to cast ballots by mail in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Alaska 551,562 Witness requirement suspended.
Arizona 5,638,481 N/A
Arkansas 2,317,649 Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) and Secretary of State John Thurston (R) announced that voters in the November 3, 2020, general election would be allowed to cite concerns over COVID-19 as a valid excuse for voting absentee. Hutchinson subsequently issued an executive order formalizing this policy change.
California 30,617,582 Mail-in ballots sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed SB 423 into law, authorizing counties to consolidate polling places in the November 3, 2020, general election, among other modifications to administration procedures
Colorado 4,499,217 N/A
Connecticut 2,837,847 Mail-in ballot applications sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election. Absentee/mail-in voting eligibility extended to any voter in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Delaware 770,192 Mail-in ballot applications sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Florida 17,247,808 N/A
Georgia 8,113,542 N/A
Hawaii 1,116,004 N/A
Idaho 1,338,864 N/A
Illinois 9,853,946 Mail-in ballot applications sent to all registered voters in the November 3, 2020, general election who cast ballots in the 2018 general election, the 2019 consolidated election, or the 2020 primary election.
Indiana 5,164,245 N/A
Iowa 2,428,229 Mail-in ballot applications sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Kansas 2,213,064 N/A
Kentucky 3,464,802 Absentee/mail-in voting eligibility requirements suspended, allowing all voters "concerned with contracting or spreading COVID-19" to cast ballots by mail in the November 3, 2020, general election. Early voting available Monday through Saturday beginning October 13, 2020. Affidavit option for voter ID requirement implemented for the November 3, 2020, general election.
Louisiana 3,561,164 Absentee/mail-in voting eligibility extended to the following voters in the November 3, 2020 general election: those at higher risk because of serious medical conditions, those subject to a 'medically necessary quarantine or isolation order,' those advised by a health provider to self-quarantine, those experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis, and those caring for an individual who is subject to a quarantine order and has been advised to self-quarantine.
Maine 1,095,370 The voter pre-registration deadline in the November 3, 2020, general election was extended to October 19, 2020.
Maryland 4,710,993 Mail-in ballot applications sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Massachusetts 5,539,703 Absentee/mail-in voting eligibility extended to all qualified voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Michigan 7,842,924 Mail-in ballot applications sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Minnesota 4,336,475 The absentee/mail-in ballot postmark deadline for the general election was extended to November 3, 2020. Witness requirements for absentee/mail-in ballots cast in the general election were suspended.
Mississippi 2,277,566 Absentee/mail-in ballot postmark deadline extended to November 3, 2020, for the November 3, 2020, election; receipt deadline extended to November 8, 2020. Absentee voting eligibility extended to individuals under physician-ordered quarantine and individuals caring for dependents under quarantine.
Missouri 4,766,843 Gov. Mike Parson (R) signed SB631 into law, permitting any registered voter to cast an absentee ballot in any 2020 election, subject to a notarization requirement. Individuals who have contracted COVID-19, and those who are at higher risk for contracting the virus, are exempted from the notarization requirement.
Montana 840,190 Counties authorized to send mail-in ballots automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Nebraska 1,458,334 Mail-in ballot applications sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Nevada 2,387,517 Mail-in ballots sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
New Hampshire 1,104,458 Absentee/mail-in voting eligibility in the November 3, 2020, general election extended to any voter who is unable to vote in person because of illness resulting from COVID-19 or 'who fears that voting in person may expose himself/herself or others to COVID-19.'
New Jersey 6,943,612 Mail-in ballots sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election. Receipt deadline for ballots postmarked on or before Election Day extended to November 9, 2020. Receipt deadline for ballots without postmarks set as November 5, 2020.
New Mexico 1,620,991 Counties authorized to send mail-in ballot applications automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, election.
New York 15,425,262 Absentee/mail-in voting eligibility in the November 3, 2020, general election extended to any voter 'unable to appear personally at the polling place of the election district in which they are a qualified voter because there is a risk of contracting or spreading a disease causing illness to the voter or to other members of the public.' Online portal launched for absentee ballot requests in the November 3, 2020, general election. Absentee ballot return drop boxes available for the November 3, 2020, general election. Ballot curing provisions expanded.
North Carolina 8,187,369 Witness signature requirement for completed absentee ballots reduced from two to one for 2020 elections. Absentee/mail-in ballot receipt deadline extended to 5 p.m. on November 12, 2020, for ballots postmarked on or before Election Day..
North Dakota 581,891 N/A
Ohio 9,111,081 Election officials required to accept absentee ballot applications submitted via fax or email.
Oklahoma 3,004,733 Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed SB210 into law, reinstating the absentee ballot notarization requirement struck down by the state supreme court on May 4, 2020. The legislation permitted voters to submit copies of their identification in lieu of having the ballot notarized in the event of a state of emergency occurring within 45 days of an election. The legislation also specified that individuals experiencing symptoms indicative of COVID-19, and individuals classified as vulnerable to infection, could cast an absentee ballot under the 'physical incapacitation' eligibility criterion.
Oregon 3,351,175 N/A
Pennsylvania 10,167,376 Prepaid return postage provided for mail-in and absentee ballots in the November 3, 2020, general election. Absentee/mail-in ballot receipt deadline extended to November 6, 2020 (with a postmark deadline of November 3, 2020, or no proof that the ballot was sent after that date). Drop boxes for returning completed absentee/mail-in ballots authorized.
Rhode Island 854,866 Mail-in ballot applications sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election. Witness/notary requirements for mail-in ballots suspended for the November 3, 2020, general election.
South Carolina 4,037,531 Absentee/mail-in voting eligibility extended to all active registered voters in the November 3, 2020, general election. Prepaid postage provided for all returned ballots in the November 3, 2020, general election. In-person absentee voting (i.e., early voting) set to begin October 5, 2020, and end November 2, 2020.
South Dakota 667,558 N/A
Tennessee 5,319,123 Absentee/mail-in ballot eligibility in the November 3, 2020, general election extended to 'individuals with a special vulnerability to COVID-19' and 'caretakers for individuals with a special vulnerability to COVID-19.' Policy requiring that first-time voters vote in person temporarily suspended.
Texas 21,596,071 Voters required to be notified if their absentee ballots might be rejected due to signature mismatch; officials required to give such voters a 'meaningful opportunity to cure' their ballots. Absentee/mail-in return locations limited to one per county.
Utah 2,274,774 N/A
Vermont 509,984 Mail-in ballots sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Virginia 6,674,671 A federal court approved a partial settlement suspending the witness requirement for absentee ballots cast in the November 3, 2020, general election. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed into law legislation providing for the use of drop-boxes and prepaid absentee/mail-in ballot return postage in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Washington 5,951,832 N/A
Washington, D. C. 684,498 Absentee/mail-in ballots sent automatically to all voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
West Virginia 1,432,580 Absentee/mail-in ballot eligibility in the November 3, 2020, general election extended to all voters 'concerns about their health and safety because of COVID-19.' Secretary of State Mac Warner (R) also announced the implementation of an online absentee/mail-in ballot request portal for the general election.
Wisconsin 4,555,837 Mail-in ballot applications sent automatically to most voters in the November 3, 2020, general election.
Wyoming 445,025 N/A


Mechanisms for changing absentee/mail-in voting procedures in response to an emergency

Statutes dealing specifically with absentee/mail-in voting

At least eight states had statutes dealing specifically with the expansion of absentee/mail-in voting in response to an emergency. These statutes are summarized in the table below.[1]

Statutes dealing specifically with absentee/mail-in voting in response to an emergency
State Authority Citation
Alabama Secretary of state Code of Ala. § 17-11-3(e)
Hawaii Chief election officer HRS § 15-2.5(a)
Illinois Governor or executive director of the state board of elections 10 ILCS 5/20-25
Indiana Election commission Ind. Code Ann. § 3-11-4-1(c)
Kansas Secretary of state K.S.A. § 25-622
Maryland Governor Md. Election Law Code Ann. § 8-103
Utah Lieutenant governor Utah Code Ann. § 20A-1-308
Virginia State election commissioner Va. Code Ann. § 24.2-713

Statutes granting officials the authority to make general changes to election procedures

At least 11 states had statutes granting officials the authority to make general changes to election procedures in response to an emergency. The authority to expand absentee/mail-in voting could be permitted under these statutes, which are summarized in the table below.[1]

Statutes granting officials the authority to make general changes to election procedures in response to an emergency
State Authority Citation
California Secretary of state Cal. Elec Code § 19104(a)(1)
Indiana Election commission Ind. Code Ann. § 3-6-4.1-16
Iowa State election commissioner Iowa Code § 47.1
Louisiana Secretary of state La. R.S. § 18:401.3
Maine Secretary of state 21-A M.R.S. § 663
Maryland Governor Md. Election Law Code Ann. § 8-103
North Carolina Chief election officer N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-27.1
Oklahoma Secretary of state 26 Okl. St. § 22-101
Utah Lieutenant governor Utah Code Ann. § 20A-1-308
West Virginia Secretary of state W. Va. Code § 3-1A-6
Wyoming Secretary of state Wyo. Stat. § 22-2-121

Gubernatorial emergency powers

In at least eight states, governors were explicitly authorized to exercise their emergency powers to change some aspects of election administration: Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. The authorizing statutes in these states are detailed in the table below. In the remaining states, governors were granted emergency powers that enabled them, to varying degrees, to suspend statutes and/or regulations and issue orders. These powers could be construed to encompass changes to election administration.[1]

States in which governors are authorized to modify elections in response to an emergency
State Citation
Florida Fla. Stat. § 101.733
Kentucky KRS § 39A.100(1)(l)
Louisiana La. R.S. § 18:401.1
Maryland Md. Public Safety Code Ann. § 14-107(d)(1)(i)
Oregon ORS § 254.471
South Carolina S.C. Code Ann. § 7-13-1170
Texas Tex. Elec. Code § 41.0011
Virginia Va. Code Ann. § 24.2-603.1

Permanent absentee/mail-in voting procedures

Background

Every state provides for some method whereby voters can cast ballots without visiting a physical polling place. The terms absentee voting, voting by mail, all-mall voting, or voting from home are sometimes used to describe these methods, which can be divided into two categories: automatic mail-in ballot systems and request-required mail-in ballot systems.

Automatic mail-in ballot systems

Automatic mail-in ballot systems mandate that all eligible voters receive either a ballot or ballot application by default. These are sometimes referred to as all-mail voting systems. Access to mail-in voting is not restricted to voters meeting certain eligibility criteria.

  • Automatic mail-in ballots: Officials automatically transmit mail-in ballots to all eligible voters. Voters may return these ballots by mail or by using designated deposit sites. Limited in-person voting is generally available, although the number of polling sites and terms of accessibility vary from state to state.
  • Automatic mail-in ballot applications: Officials automatically transmit mail-in ballot applications to all eligible voters. A voter must in turn submit a completed application in order to receive a ballot. The voter then returns the completed ballot by mail or by using designated deposit sites. In-person voting is widely available, but it is not necessarily the dominant means by voters cast their ballots.

Request-required mail-in ballot systems

Request-required mail-in ballot systems require that eligible voters initiate the process for receiving, and casting, mail-in ballots. These have traditionally been described as absentee voting systems. Access to mail-in voting may be restricted to voters meeting certain eligibility criteria.

  • No excuse required: Any voter may request a mail-in ballot. Generally, a voter must first submit an application in order to receive a ballot. The voter may then return the completed ballot by mail or by using a designated deposit site. In-person voting is dominant.
  • Excuse required: A voter must meet eligibility criteria in order to qualify for a mail-in ballot. Generally, a voter must first submit an application in order to receive a ballot. The voter may then return the completed ballot by mail or by using a designated deposit site. In-person voting is dominant.

Permanent absentee/mail-in voting procedures by state

The map and table below summarize existing statutory absentee/mail-in voting procedures in the states. These are the permanent rules that govern absentee/mail-in voting under normal circumstances and in the absence of temporary emergency measures, which are discussed below.

Permanent absentee/mail-in voting procedures by state
State Absentee/mail-in voting type Description
Alabama Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Alaska Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Arizona Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Arkansas Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
California Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Colorado Automatic mail-in voting Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default.
Connecticut Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Delaware Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Florida Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Georgia Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Hawaii Automatic mail-in voting Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default.
Idaho Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Illinois Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Indiana Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Iowa Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Kansas Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Kentucky Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Louisiana Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Maine Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Maryland Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Massachusetts Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Michigan Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Minnesota Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Mississippi Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Missouri Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Montana Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Nebraska Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Nevada Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
New Hampshire Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
New Jersey Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
New Mexico Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
New York Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
North Carolina Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
North Dakota Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Ohio Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Oklahoma Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Oregon Automatic mail-in voting Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default.
Pennsylvania Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Rhode Island Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
South Carolina Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
South Dakota Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Tennessee Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Texas Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Utah Automatic mail-in voting Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default.
Vermont Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Virginia Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Washington Automatic mail-in voting Every voter receives a mail-in ballot by default.
West Virginia Request-required absentee/mail-in voting Excuse required.
Wisconsin Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.
Wyoming Request-required absentee/mail-in voting No excuse required.

Debate


See also: Debate over responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Selected arguments and articles dealing with the expansion of absentee/mail-in voting in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are presented below.

  • Editorial board of The Wall Street Journal (The Wall Street Journal): 

    "Say it’s mid-November, and absentee ballots are being counted in a key state. Although Mr. Trump retains a modest lead, mail votes are breaking 3 to 1 for Mr. Biden. Perhaps the law in this jurisdiction requires ballots to arrive by Election Day, so there’s a pile to the side of thousands of late deliveries. Some are missing postmarks, and it’s not clear when they were mailed. Thousands more have been discarded for suspect signatures, but the rejection rates are higher in urban areas. The best way to prevent this democratic debacle is to act before things get that far. If states tighten ballot deadlines now and prepare to process mail votes before Election Day, it would cut the risk of an outcome that causes half the country to claim it’s illegitimate. With each lawsuit that puts the count into the hands of judges, this nightmare gets more likely." - "Will Courts Pick the Next President?," September 7, 2020.

  • Santa Rosa, California Press Democrat editorial board (Journal Courier): "GOP lawmakers, meanwhile, are opposing legislation that would write the governor’s order into law. Like Trump, they claim mail ballots carry a heightened risk of fraud. Study after study has debunked those claims, and five years of Justice Department investigations during the George W. Bush administration found some mistakes and lapses but virtually no organized voter fraud. If the coronavirus isn’t contained, many voters are likely to be uneasy about going to the polls in November. They should be. The volunteers who staff polling stations would be taking a risk too. There have been instances during the primaries in which poll workers came down with the virus. Mail voting is a smart precaution." - "Editorial: Voting by mail trustworthy plan for a safe election," June 7, 2020.

  • Ileana Lehtinen, former Florida congresswoman (R) and Trey Grayson, former Kentucky Secretary of State (R) (The Hill): "Before the pandemic, some of our fellow Republicans resisted reforms like expanded early and absentee voting, and many still do. But with the worst public health crisis in a century, many Republicans have correctly realized that an emergency situation calls for the emergency response. Now is the time to break the glass." - "Why expanded voting options is critical for the election this year," June 22, 2020.

  • Phil Keisling, former Oregon Secretary of State (NY Daily News): "At day’s end, our shared goal should be the participation of as many American voters as possible, amidst historically difficult circumstances. It’s already a given: far more Americans will vote with a mailed out ballot in 2020 than ever before. With proper planning, mailed-out ballots will keep voters, not to mention American democracy itself, as healthy as can be." - "Thinking inside the envelope: The mail-in solution to voting during the coronavirus pandemic," May 31, 2020.

  • Philip Bump, Washington Post columnist (NewsDay): "As of Thursday, there are 10 places in which voters will be sent an actual ballot by mail, the thing Trump rails against. Five did so before the coronavirus pandemic: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Five began doing so this year: California, the District of Columbia, Nevada, New Jersey and Vermont. You've probably noticed that there aren't many swing states among those 10. Only Nevada is a state in which the contest might be close and which is sending ballots. . .Among the seven states that were closest in 2016, two besides Nevada made changes. New Hampshire introduced voting by mail, though with an application. Wisconsin will send absentee ballot applications to every voter. In total, 51 million voters will receive a ballot in the mail, according to a Washington Post analysis. About half of them are in California and Washington state, both places that Trump had no shot of winning." - "Arguments that mail-in balloting will undermine election are wrong," September 26, 2020.

  • Philip Bump, Washington Post columnist (NewsDay): "A Post analysis looked at nearly 15 million votes cast by mail in 2016 and 2018, and it found fewer than 400 possible cases of double voting or a vote cast for a dead person. If each of those cases was, in fact, intentional fraud — which has not been determined — it's equivalent to having $10,000 in the bank and seeing someone purloin a quarter. . .That qualifier that fraud has not been proved in those 400-odd cases is important because it's common for sweeping allegations of fraud to be made that collapse upon further scrutiny. A report from Texas last year, for example, claimed that tens of thousands of noncitizens had voted in the state, a claim Trump quickly elevated. But it was not true, ignoring that many of those voters had become citizens before they voted. A review subsequently found only 80 instances in which people might potentially have cast improper votes." - "Arguments that mail-in balloting will undermine election are wrong," September 26, 2020.

  • Philip Bump, Washington Post columnist (NewsDay): "Generally speaking, there is a number of reasons that [increased absentee voting] tends to be more Democratic. One is that more voters means more ballots to count, and big, urban counties tend to have more voters — and more Democrats. Another is that voters who vote less frequently (meaning that they are more likely to require a provisional ballot) or those who register to vote on Election Day tend to align with Democratic constituencies: non-White voters and younger voters in particular. . .What this means, though, is that the results of the election as they stand on Nov. 3 will almost certainly not reflect the actual vote. This isn't a function of fraud and scheming. It's a function of counting votes, and a predictable one." - "Arguments that mail-in balloting will undermine election are wrong," September 26, 2020.

  • San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board (San Diego Union-Tribune): "Even with DeJoy’s heavy-handed moves, there is simply no historical basis to think mail voting will be beyond the capacity of the Postal Service. In 2016, 138 million Americans voted in person and via mail in the presidential race. Even a 100 percent vote by mail wouldn’t rock an agency that handles on average 1 billion pieces of first-class mail a week. Especially because most states allow people to start sending absentee ballots in weeks before the election, it is incomprehensible that increased absentee voting will bring the Postal Service to its knees." - "Take care to make sure your vote counts," September 25, 2020.

  • Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks (USA Today): "We have always had absentee voting, but it has always come with a tried and true validation process to ward off controversy. The system only works if we keep the same processes in place throughout. By changing the laws for how mail-in ballots are counted, states are paving the way for chaos and uncertainty in the weeks after Nov. 3. To change election laws this late in the game puts partisan legal teams in charge of determining the results of an election, rather than American voters." - "Don't change election laws this late: Anthony Fauci says in-person voting is safe with precautions. And widespread voting by mail could be dangerous to election integrity.," September 24, 2020.

  • Jack Holmes, Esquire (Esquire): "It seems the most promising remedy for the clear majority of people who want to vote against the incumbent president is to vote in person. (If he was going to win a majority, the president would let them vote and make sure the votes were counted. Like the Republican party of the last decade in general, he has given up on trying to appeal to a majority of voters and focused on suppressing turnout.) It constitutes endangering your health in order to try to safeguard your constitutional rights. . .The president's campaign and its allies are working overtime to prevent states from sending voters absentee ballots, or even applications for absentee ballots; they tried to destroy the Postal Service tasked with delivering those ballots on-time; they tried to prevent people putting their ballots in dropboxes; they will try to prevent any that do make it in from being counted. People may just need to go in person—early, wherever possible, to spread out the crowds and maximize distancing." - "It's Not Right, But You Might Have to Vote in Person," September 23, 2020.

  • Roanoke VA Times Editorial Board (Roanoke VA Times): "We also know there will be more people than ever planning to vote early. This is not the year to risk voting by mail. . . .Whoever wins, we should hope they win by a clear and decisive margin — a margin that is not in dispute. A surge of mail voting risks some ballots not being counted, and an election result that is in dispute. Want to vote early and be sure it gets counted? Go to the registrar’s office, not the post office." - "Why you shouldn't vote by mail," September 18, 2020.

  • Doyle McManus, LA TIMES (Kenosha News): "If this year’s contest between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden ends in a photo finish, the consequences could be far more damaging to democracy. Tens of millions of Americans will try to vote by mail because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But officials in 14 states are prohibited from processing mail-in ballots until Election Day; counting them could take days or weeks. Those states include Pennsylvania and Michigan, battlegrounds that could decide the election. Here’s where it gets complicated. Since 2004, mail-in ballots have been disproportionately Democratic, a phenomenon known as the 'blue shift.' So, barring a landslide, we could see a 'red mirage' on Nov. 3, an election-night count of in-person votes that suggests that Trump has won — even though millions of votes for Biden are waiting to be tabulated." - "Election Day could become election month," September 12, 2020.

  • Boston Herald Editorial Board (Boston Herald): "State authorities could bungle their counts of mail-in ballots or be hampered by shortages of poll workers and funding. Violence could force a halt to the vote count, and Trump could order troops into the streets. He could even order them to impound the ballots, helping his effort to stay in power. 'Biden can call a press conference,' [Georgetown University law professor Rosa] Brooks said. “Trump can call in the 82nd Airborne.' If an impasse persists long enough, Trump or Biden could call on state legislatures to ignore the popular vote and award their state’s electoral votes on their own authority, a power the Constitution gives them. The battle probably would end in the Supreme Court or in Congress — but either way, it would leave the nation angrier and further divided." - "It could take U.S. months to determine Election Day winner," September 12, 2020.

  • Charlottesville VA Daily Progress Editorial Board (Charlottesville VA Daily Progress): "Voting by mail has been made easier during the COVID era, to encourage as many people as possible to vote rather than to forgo this responsibility out of fear for their health. Unfortunately, the reliability of postal delivery has been a long-standing problem — and it’s even more crucial now in this high-stakes presidential election. Can voters trust that their ballots will get through?" - "Early voting poses choices for Virginians," September 4, 2020.

  • Mandi Merritt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee (CNN): "Democrats pushing for more vote-by-mail is a strategy that "absolutely leads to more questions, potential litigation, and larger shifts in the post-election vote count." - "Deciphering the 'red mirage,' the 'blue shift,' and the uncertainty surrounding election results this November," September 4, 2020.

  • Dalton GA Daily Citizen News Editorial Board (Dalton GA Daily Citizen News): "Election Day is sure to be a busy voting day, and some parts of the state will have long voting lines. . .For those voters who feel more comfortable voting by mail, we suggest you submit your absentee ballot request as soon as possible to make sure your voice is heard in the General Election." - "Stay safe and skip the lines: Request your absentee ballot online, then vote by mail in the November General Election," September 1, 2020.

  • Jackson MS Northside Sun Editorial Board (Jackson MS Northside Sun): "When balancing the risk of voter fraud with the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the latter seems a whole lot more likely if voters are forced to line up in crowded precincts. The governor has repeatedly said that if the public will take some commonsense steps, such as wear a mask and practice social distancing, the coronavirus can be beat back. It also makes common sense to not require people to vote in person when they can easily be given a safer alternative." - "[Mississippi] State Inflexible on Mail-in Voting," August 27, 2020.

  • Science Magazine (Science Magazine): "[Researchers] found that in presidential and midterm general elections between 1996 and 2018, switching to all-mail voting increased the percentage of residents who voted by 1.8% to 2.9%, they report today in Science Advances. When it came to the Democratic share of the vote, they found a tiny uptick in the share of votes that went to Democratic candidates for Congress, governor, and president—approximately 0.7%. But the difference was so small that the margin of statistical error means it’s possible there was no effect at all, John Holbein at the University of Virginia says. 'There might be a teensy, tiny effect on Democratic turnout.'" - "Do Republicans or Democrats benefit from mail-in voting? It turns out, neither," August 26, 2020.

  • David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey (The Wall Street Journal): "As the Supreme Court held in Foster v. Love (1997), taken together the relevant constitutional and statutory provisions mandate 'holding all elections for Congress and the Presidency on a single day throughout the Union.' It follows that although state statutes permit the use of certain mail-in ballots sent on or before Election Day, no ballot cast after Nov. 3 is constitutionally valid. That implies that counting unpostmarked mailed ballots that arrive after Election Day would be unconstitutional, as there would be no way to tell if they were cast in time. In addition, the winner of each state’s electoral votes must be determined by Dec. 14, or those votes cannot be cast. These requirements create a six-week window during which the electors must be chosen and certified, leaving little time for errors or challenges to the results. The delays inevitable in widespread voting by mail would make it difficult or impossible for some states to meet the Dec. 14 deadline, even without challenges to the results—which are certain this year if the election is close." - "Mail-In Voting Could Deliver Chaos," August 25, 2020.

  • Jacksonville FL Times-Union Editorial Board (Jacksonville FL Times-Union): "By the way, mail-in voting gives no party a consistent advantage. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that vote-by-mail elections closely parallel in-person voting. Studies found that mail-in voting helped Republicans in Colorado and North Carolina but helped Democrats in Utah. Mail-in voting in Florida has not helped the Democratic Party, according to the Integrity Florida report. In fact, mail-in balloting results in higher rejection rates for typical Democratic constituencies: minorities, young voters and first-time voters." - "Florida's mail-in voting system is good but could be improved," August 25, 2020.

  • National Public Radio News (National Public Radio): "New research suggests in-person voting may be less risky than many fear. A peer-reviewed study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health concludes that in-person voting in Wisconsin's April 7 election by more than 400,000 electors did not produce a detectable surge there in coronavirus cases. . .There were 71 people, that agency reported in mid-May, who did test positive for the coronavirus who had either been poll workers or voted in person in Wisconsin's balloting. But the study noted that many of those cases involved people who had been exposed to the coronavirus in situations unrelated to voting. Even if they had been infected at voting places, the authors said, the number of cases relative to the overall number of in-person voters suggests that such voting involved a 'fatality risk of driving an automobile approximately 140 miles.' 'Taken together,' the study concluded, 'it appears that voting in Wisconsin on April 7 was a low-risk activity.'" - "New Research Suggests In-Person Voting May Be Less Risky Than Previously Thought," August 21, 2020.

  • Jason Chaffetz (Fox News): "No doubt President Trump has expressed deep concerns about the validity of the ballots, and rightfully so. Sending out millions of ballots without authenticating the inbound ballots is ripe for massive fraud. Democrats have desperately been seeking to legalize 'ballot harvesting' (the collection and submission of ballots by someone other than the voter and without authentication) and other nefarious activities. It must be noted elections in the United States are administered by counties and certified by states. In other words, per the United States Constitution, elections are run locally and not by the executive branch of the federal government. The president has simply sought fair elections." - "Jason Chaffetz: Trump vs. Dems on mail-in voting — here is the truth the left doesn't want you to know," August 17, 2020.

  • Jack Shafer (Politico): "It’s true that the USPS has sent letters to 46 states expressing its doubts about delivering all the ballots in time to be counted. But, as the Washington Post also mentioned in its story, those letters were in the works before Trump’s new postmaster general took office. It’s also true the USPS needs billions of dollars from Congress, which Trump made noise about vetoing. But that has little to do with delivering ballots for the election, as he implied on Fox. It’s Trump’s particular genius for pulling together unrelated things that has liberals and election wonks in a tizzy. As one postal reporter put it: 'USPS has repeatedly made clear it can easily absorb any uptick in mailed ballots and has long been preparing for such an event.'" - "The Empty Threats Behind Trump’s Mail-In Voting Mischief," August 17, 2020.

  • Gilad Edelman, WIRED Magazine (WIRED Magazine): "To be clear, even the low risk of voting in person is too much to ask of the millions of Americans whose age or medical history makes them especially vulnerable to the coronavirus. If you don’t fit into that category, however, then voting in person has a double benefit: It increases the chances that your vote will count, while at the same time conserving the diminished resources of the Postal Service for everyone else. Think of it like N95 masks: It would be great for everyone to have them, but since the system isn’t equipped to provide that, it’s best to leave them for those with the most need." - "Honestly, Just Vote In Person—It’s Safer Than You Think," August 17, 2020.

  • Dr. Anthony Fauci (Wired): "I think if carefully done, according to the guidelines, there’s no reason I can see why that’d not be the case. If you go and wear a mask, if you observe the physical distancing, and don't have a crowded situation, there’s no reason why you shouldn't be able to [safely vote in person]." - "Honestly, Just Vote In Person—It’s Safer Than You Think," August 17, 2020.

  • Dr. Anthony Fauci (Business Insider): "For people who are at greater risk of serious complications from COVID-19, Fauci said Thursday voters could cast their ballot by mail. I mean, obviously if you're a person who is compromised physically or otherwise, you don't want to take the chance." - "Fauci says 'there's no reason' in-person voting shouldn't be safe with masks and proper social distancing," August 15, 2020.

  • William Galston, Brookings Insitute (Brookings Insitute): "Even in 2000, when perceived differences between the candidates were historically low, contested election results in just one state cast a pall over American politics for considerable time. This year, with the stakes in the outcome at a modern high, contested results could mean something much worse. The Constitution gives states the leading role in administering elections. If they do not make adequate preparations for counting—promptly and accurately—what could turn out to be 60 million mail-in ballots, the ensuing controversy may well rock our democracy to its foundations. If the major news networks rush to judgment on election night, based only on what they know from in-person voters and then have to change their announcements once the mail ballots are counted, the conspiracy theories will abound and a cloud of suspicion will hang over the 2020 election." - "Election 2020: A once-in-a-century, massive turnout?," August 14, 2020.

  • Thomas Marshall, USPS General Counsel (Spectrum Local News): "[Marshall] advised that North Carolina’s election laws create the opportunity for mail-in ballots to arrive too late to be counted. The letter states that in North Carolina, 'certain deadlines for requesting and casting mail-in ballots are incongruous with the Postal Service’s delivery standards. This mismatch creates a risk that ballots requested near the deadline under state law will not be returned by mail in time to be counted." - "USPS: N.C. Voters Risk Having Their Mail-In Ballots Not Count in November Election Due to Late Delivery," August 14, 2020.

  • Thomas Shults, Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Sarasota Herald-Tribune): "A study by the Heritage Foundation involved a national sampling of election fraud prosecutions from 1998 to 2019. Of the 1,290 cases in the sample, approximately 16% concerned crimes involving mail-in ballots." - "Fraud using mail-in ballots is hardly a myth," August 13, 2020.

  • Ed Kilgore, New York Magazine (New York Magazine): "Since mail ballots are (everything else being equal) counted later than in-person ballots, the heavy expected voting by mail in November, and a slow count attributable in part to understaffed, incompetent, and even malicious state and local election operations, could combine with Trump’s polarizing demands for election day voting to enormously expand the “blue shift” to the point where there are major disparities in Election Night and subsequent returns. And that’s where things could get crazy." - "Why Do the Last Votes Counted Skew Democratic?," August 10, 2020.

  • Paul Lopez, Denver CO County Clerk Recorder (Colorado Sun): "The ongoing attacks on mail ballots from the president and his allies are not grounded in fact. There is no evidence that mail ballots (a.k.a. absentee ballots) are more subject to fraud than other methods of voting, and there is virtually no chance that a foreign government could manipulate an election outcome by printing and returning fake mail-in ballots. The facts are that mail-in ballots are a safe, secure and implementable solution that addresses many of the threats to our democracy, from the public health pandemic to foreign interference." - "I oversee Denver’s elections. Mail ballots are safe and secure.," August 3, 2020.

  • Hans A. von Spakovsky, Heritage Foundation (Heritage Foundation): "Mail-in ballots are the ballots most vulnerable to being altered, stolen, or forged. . .Mail-in ballots also have a higher rejection rate than votes cast in person. In [a recent Paterson NJ local election], election officials apparently rejected 1 in 5 ballots for everything from signatures on the ballots not matching the signatures of voters on file, to ballots not complying with the technical rules that apply to absentee ballots." - "The Risks of Mail-In Voting," August 3, 2020.

  • Hans A. von Spakovsky, Heritage Foundation (Heritage Foundation): "In the 2016 election, almost 130 million Americans voted. Does anyone really think the Postal Service will be able to suddenly handle 260 million pieces of additional mail—that is, the ballots being mailed out by election officials, and then mailed back by voters? Just from a practical standpoint, that is asking for chaos and mass disenfranchisement. Inevitably, it will take longer to tabulate the results of the election if there is a massive amount of mail-in voting, particularly in close races for the presidency and down-ballot offices." - "The Risks of Mail-In Voting," August 3, 2020.

  • Anchorage Daily News Editorial Board (Anchorage Daily News): "Fortunately, voting by mail has a long track record in the U.S., so there’s plenty of evidence to dispel [claims of election fraud]. The incidence of voter fraud in mail-in voting is about 0.00006% — about one ballot per state every six or seven years. What’s more, the scenario raised by Attorney General William Barr — that a foreign power could submit fraudulent ballots en masse — was shown by elections officials across the nation to be highly unlikely when standard precautions are taken." - "Don’t buy the fear campaign over mail-in voting. It can keep Alaskans safer.," August 1, 2020.

  • Donald J. Trump (Twitter): "With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???" - "Tweet dated 8:46 AM, July 30, 2020," July 30, 2020.

  • Byron York, Santa Maria CA Times (Santa Maria CA Times): "Say, just for the sake of argument, that there is not even a hint of fraud in the vote counting. But if there are important areas where very few votes have been counted three weeks after Election Day, where there is no way to track which votes have been counted and which haven't, and there is great confusion about how the job will ever get done -- well, that will be a huge problem. Chaos could descend, with no resolution of the presidential election. In the absence of a reliable vote total, both candidates might proclaim victory." - "The many dangers of voting by mail," July 28, 2020.

  • Wendy Weiser, Harold Eken - Brennan Center (Northern Kentucky Tribune): "In the last two federal elections, roughly one out of every four Americans cast a mail ballot. In five states — Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington — mail balloting has been the primary method of voting. In 28 additional states, all voters have had the right to vote by mail ballot if they choose, without having to provide any reason or excuse. Over time, a growing number of voters have chosen that option. Since 2000 more than 250 million votes have been cast via mailed-out ballots, in all 50 states, according to the Vote at Home Institute. In 2018, more than 31 million Americans cast their ballots by mail, about 25.8 percent of election participants. Despite this dramatic increase in mail voting over time, fraud rates remain infinitesimally small. None of the five states that hold their elections primarily by mail has had any voter fraud scandals since making that change. . .While mail ballots are more susceptible to fraud than in-person voting, it is still more likely for an American to be struck by lightning than to commit mail voting fraud." - "The false narrative of vote-by-mail fraud; mail ballots essential during COVID-19," July 27, 2020.

  • Justin Clark is senior adviser and senior counsel to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc (Minneapolis Star Tribune): "A mail-in voting system is much more exposed to fraud and abuse than an absentee voting system for a number of reasons. In many cases where all-mail-in voting has taken place, partisan political organizations engage in what is known as ballot harvesting to influence elections. When combined with ballot harvesting and a movement by Democrat operatives to eliminate security measures typically used with absentee ballots, an all-mail-in election is exposed to exponentially more opportunities for fraud and abuse." - "Mail-in voting would undermine election integrity," July 24, 2020.

  • Kevin Kosar, Marc Hyden and Steven Greenhut (R Street): "Voting absentee or by mail is a safe, trusted and age-old practice. Moreover, expanded access to absentee voting comports with conservative principles, which helps explain why a number of conservative state policymakers have advanced proposals to achieve it. Finally, and critically, policymakers should take note that polling data indicate very clearly that the public strongly favors expanded access to absentee voting and that its results are partisan-neutral." - "The Conservative Case for Expanded Access to Absentee Ballots," June 17, 2020.

  • Carteret County NC News-Times Editorial Board (Carteret County NC News-Times): "In an effort to facilitate voting, HB 1169 temporarily reduces the number of witnesses, from two to one, required to verify that the legal voter cast the ballot. This stipulation will, according to political observers, revert back to the requirement of two witnesses after the 2020 election. Any of these 'safeguards' can be easily circumvented by those who know the system and are knowledgeable on how to scrape the internet for information. But to make the process even easier for malefactors is the creation of an on-line portal allowing applicants to seek absentee ballots with this information and using an electronic signature. Imagine if you can the quality of signatures on a computer tablet versus one using a pen and paper. There is no way a forensic analyst will be able to discern if these electronic signatures are accurate." - "Legislative action weakens absentee ballot integrity," June 17, 2020.

  • Enrijeta Shino, Mara Suttmann-Lea, and Daniel A. Smith (The Washington Post): "According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, of the more than 140 million votes cast in the 2016 general election, 23.7 percent were via mail. Of the roughly 33.2 million mail ballots that election administrators received and tabulated, approximately 1 percent weren’t counted. Reasons for rejection include 'the signature on the ballot not matching the signature on the state’s records,' 'the ballot not having a signature,' a 'problem with return envelope,' or 'missing the deadline.' By contrast, a third fewer ballots cast in person were rejected in 2016. Even in states where voters have had several years’ experience in voting by mail, such as in Washington, Oregon and Colorado, mail ballots get rejected. In the 2016 election, 0.81 percent of Colorado’s mail ballots were rejected; in Oregon, 0.86 percent; and in Washington, 0.90 percent. And that doesn’t include the hundreds of thousands of ballots mailed to voters that were returned as undeliverable." - "Here’s the problem with mail-in ballots: They might not be counted.," May 21, 2020.

  • Danielle Root (Center for American Progress): "In considering best practices for administering elections during a pandemic, lawmakers must take into account the health and safety of not just those involved in the voting process but also members of entire state populations who could be negatively affected if proper precautions are not taken. In order to keep voters, poll workers, and especially populations at risk of COVID-19 safe, state and national leaders must take immediate action to fortify the voting process and protect voters and nonvoters alike." - "States Should Embrace Vote by Mail and Early Voting To Protect Higher-Risk Populations From Coronavirus," May 14, 2020.

  • Andy Brack, South Carolina Statehouse Report (South Carolina Statehouse Report): "State Democrats and ACLU were right to file lawsuits challenging South Carolina’s old-fashioned way of doing elections — by making all but a subset of voters show up at a polling place. We already know mail-in balloting works. So let’s expand it. Officials point to all sorts of exceptions that allow people to vote by mail. If you’re in the military or American Red Cross, you can vote absentee. If you’re overseas, disabled, a student living outside your home county, have a work conflict, on vacation, in the hospital, at a funeral, in jail, helping someone who is sick or disabled — all of you can vote absentee. So can anyone working the polls or who is 65 or older." - "State needs temporary rules now for absentee voting," May 8, 2020.

  • Michael Morley (Lawfare): "State election emergency laws often give election officials substantial discretion to modify the rules governing the state’s electoral process. General state-of-emergency laws often give the governor even broader authority. When legislatures draft such laws or executive officials develop plans for implementing them, they must identify not only the most effective courses of action to take—an issue my previous work discusses—but also particularly problematic alternatives that should generally be avoided. Knowing what not to do is an important, yet largely overlooked, aspect of contingency planning. Measures such as automatically sending absentee ballots (rather than absentee ballot request/application forms) to every person in a state’s voter registration database, permitting third-party ballot harvesting, diluting or eliminating signature-match requirements, transmitting blank or completed absentee ballots over the internet, and postponing or extending the election unless absolutely necessary should be rejected." - "Election Modifications to Avoid During the COVID-19 Pandemic," April 17, 2020.

  • Tierney Sneed (Talking Points Memo): "Only a handful of the states have the infrastructure already in place to handle the expansion of mail-in voting the coronavirus is expected to bring about. For the rest of the country, election officials will have to work aggressively to overhaul their voting procedures so that, for public health reasons, in-person interactions can be limited. In a vast majority of states, officials will have to consider buying new equipment, retraining or hiring additional staff, revamping the current way they handle absentee ballots, and changing procedural deadlines — which in some places require the cooperation of the legislature. Experts anticipate bumps in the road — if not major hurdles — everywhere. Whether other states repeat last week’s primary fiasco in Wisconsin will depend on how proactive policy makers are in reconfiguring their systems and what level of absentee voting they will be starting from." - "Only A Handful Of States Are Ready For The Mail-In Voting Election COVID-19 Will Bring," April 14, 2020.

  • J. Christian Adams (Public Interest Legal Foundation): "Putting the election in the hands of the United States Postal Service would be a catastrophe. Over the recent decade, there were 28 million missing and misdirected ballots. These represent 28 million opportunities for someone to cheat. Absentee ballot fraud is the most common; the most expensive to investigate; and can never be reversed after an election.' The status quo was already bad for mail balloting. The proposed emergency fix is worse." - "Report: 28 Million Mail Ballots Went Missing in Past Decade," April 13, 2020.

  • Richard L. Hasen (The Washington Post): "According to the well-constructed News21 database, absentee-ballot ballot fraud made up 24.2 percent of all reported prosecutions of election crimes between 2000 and 2012. But the total number of cases was just 491 — during a period in which literally billions of votes were cast. While certain pockets of the country have seen their share of absentee-ballot scandals, problems are extremely rare in the five states that rely primarily on vote-by-mail, including the heavily Republican state of Utah. Election design requires tradeoffs. Many states offer absentee balloting because they realize that the tremendous convenience to voters outweighs the small risk of fraud. Now, of course, the covid-19 pandemic has radically elevated the risk of gathering at polling stations, making mail-in balloting a crucial alternative." - "Trump is wrong about the dangers of absentee ballots," April 9, 2020.

  • Hayden Ludwig (Capital Research Center): "There’s no dispute that our elections should be safe and secure, and if the coronavirus relief package ensures that, so much the better. But we’re still a long way from November, and it’s unclear how much the coronavirus will plague the country then. Gutting America’s election system is an overreaction on an unprecedented scale. Instead, Americans should meet the Left’s election opportunism with the skepticism it deserves." - "Vote by Mail Is a Ticket to Voter Fraud in 2020," April 8, 2020.

  • Gentry Lange, director of The No Vote By Mail Project (Minnesota Post): "Moving to all-mail voting would be nothing short of a catastrophe for our democracy. Just consider how long it takes to count a vote by mail election. When I ran for city council in Bremerton, Washington, in 2009 there were roughly 7,000 votes cast, and that election alone took weeks to decide. This is what an all-mail voting system will do to the country, expanded to an exponentially larger scale. It will make all elections less accurate, less precise, and require far longer to tabulate. Elections that formerly took place at the school or down the street were counted in one night, but when ballots trickle in through the mail, the process takes a month or more to decide. Even the proverbial election for the county dogcatcher would not yield a result for weeks." - "Just say no to voting by mail," April 8, 2020.

  • Hans A. von Spakovsky, J. Christian Adams, and Cleta Mitchell (Fox News): "But no one should forget that absentee-ballot voting is vulnerable to intimidation, fraud and chaos as all-mail elections move behind closed doors beyond the oversight of election officials. Not to mention prolonged counting and potentially lengthy delays in certifying questionable results. Election officials should start taking steps now to ensure that if a mailed ballot system is ordered, the election itself can be protected from the dangers that will otherwise result." - "Von Spakovsky, Adams & Mitchell: Coronavirus and elections — changes increase risk of voter fraud," April 1, 2020.

  • Stan Veuger (Mercatus Center at George Mason University): "The general election’s timing is set by statute. Nonetheless, it would be irresponsible to require people to vote in person in the midst of a pandemic. Dramatically lower turnout would inevitably distort the results. Postponing general elections is much more problematic than postponing primaries because self-serving considerations of incumbency and partisanship play a greater role. In addition, many states lack clear electoral emergency laws, and the courts rely instead on 'vague, subjective, ad hoc standards in rushed, politically charged proceedings.' States need to start planning immediately to facilitate voting by mail." - "Time to Prepare for Voting by Mail," March 31, 2020.

  • Ronald J. Krotoszynski, Jr. (The Atlantic): "Today, and possibly even this November, the potential cost of casting a ballot in person on Election Day could be considerably higher, given that crowds and shared surfaces (such as the interface of an electronic voting machine) present perfect environments for spreading the coronavirus. The election is too important to let fall prey to this virus. Americans must ensure that the country’s democratic process moves forward as scheduled. And there is one time-tested and straightforward way to do that: nationwide vote by mail. The question of expanding access to voting by mail should not be left to the states to decide. The country needs a federal law that ensures all citizens may exercise their right to vote, without having to jeopardize their health. Congress should swiftly pass a law that mandates the option of early voting by mail in all 50 states and the District of Columbia." - "Vote-by-Mail Can Save the 2020 Election," March 27, 2020.

  • Jessica Huseman (ProPublica): "While mail-in ballots seem like an elegant solution as the United States grapples with containing COVID-19, experts say slow-moving state and county governments, inconsistent state rules and limited resources to buy essentials such as envelopes and scanners could make it difficult to ramp up nationally to reach more than 200 million registered voters in the November general election. Among the possible downsides of a quick transition are increased voter fraud, logistical snafus and reduced turnout among voters who move frequently or lack a mailing address. There is bipartisan consensus that mail-in ballots are the form of voting most vulnerable to fraud. A 2005 commission led by President Jimmy Carter and James A. Baker III — George W. Bush’s secretary of state — concluded that these ballots “remain the largest source of potential voter fraud.” Ballot harvesting scandals, in which political operatives tamper with absentee ballots that voters have entrusted to them, have marred recent elections in North Carolina and Texas. Mail-in technology is also far more complex than a poll worker stuffing ballots into envelopes and opening them on return. In some cities with diverse populations, hundreds of types of ballots in multiple languages must be designed and directed to the appropriate voters in the correct precincts. Envelopes must be thick enough to protect voter privacy, and the paper thickness must be appropriate for scanners used to count ballots. When ballots are received, machines often open the envelopes and sort and tabulate the votes. These machines are expensive, and they generally take several months to order." - "Voting by Mail Would Reduce Coronavirus Transmission but It Has Other Risks," March 24, 2020.

  • Brainerd ND Dispatch Editorial Board (Brainerd ND Dispatch): "voting by mail is an obvious safe-voting option in the pandemic. In fact, the June primary in North Dakota was conducted exclusively by mail. North Dakotans embraced voting by mail in the June primary and mailed in their ballots in unprecedented numbers. In North Dakota, every county now has a high-speed ballot counter — machines that were essential in handling the huge volume of ballots in the June primary. Election officials face an even greater challenge in the upcoming November election. Turnout in general elections is much greater than in primaries. You can help ensure a smooth count — and ensure that your vote is counting — by voting early by mail." - "Suggestions that voting by mail isn't secure are hogwash," August 8, 2002.

    • Additional reading

  • "If You Can Grocery Shop in Person, You Can Vote in Person" - The Atlantic, September 8, 2020

  • "Beware the Fall Ballot Harvest" - The Wall Street Journal, June 19, 2020

  • "Need A Witness For Your Mail-In Ballot? New Pandemic Lawsuits Challenge Old Rules" - NPR, June 1, 2020

  • "There Is No Evidence That Voting By Mail Gives One Party An Advantage" - FiveThirtyEight, May 12, 2020

  • "Ignoring Trump and Right-Wing Think Tanks, Red States Expand Vote by Mail" - ProPublica, May 12, 2020

  • "Vote-by-mail debate raises fears of election disinformation" - Associated Press, May 5, 2020

  • "We Should Never Have to Vote in Person Again" - The New York Times, May 4, 2020

  • "COVID-19 Should Be a Legitimate ‘Excuse’ to Vote by Mail" - Brennan Center for Justice, April 20, 2020

  • "Coronavirus Intensifies Legal Tussle Over Voting Rights" - The Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2020

  • "The brewing state battles over how to hold elections in a pandemic" - The Washington Post, April 15, 2020

  • "RNC v. DNC: Absentee Voters and the Partisan Pandemic" - The George Washington Law Review, April 13, 2020

  • "The Media Can Play A Crucial Role In Preserving Democracy Amid COVID. Here’s How." - Talking Points Memo, April 13, 2020

  • "GOP pushes voting by mail — with restrictions — while Trump attacks it as ‘corrupt’" - The Washington Post, April 13, 2020

  • "The Most Important 2020 States Already Have Vote by Mail" - The Atlantic, April 11, 2020

  • "Coronavirus May Reshape Who Votes And How In The 2020 Election" - NPR, April 10, 2020

  • "Heed Jimmy Carter on the Danger of Mail-In Voting" - The Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2020

  • "Paul Gronke: Agreeing On Election Terminology Can Help Focus Debates Over How To Respond To COVID-19" - Election Law Blog, April 10, 2020

  • "Pandemic spurs court fights over mail-in voting" - The Hill, April 10, 2020

  • "America might survive coronavirus. But will the election?" - MIT Technology Review, April 9, 2020

  • "McCarthy hits 'disgusting' Democratic push for mail-in-voting" - Politico, April 9, 2020

  • "Poll: Contra Trump, 65% Of Republicans Want Mail-In Ballots This Fall If Coronavirus Is Spreading" - Hot Air, April 8, 2020

  • "As Pandemic Imperils Elections, Democrats Clash With Trump on Voting Changes" - The New York Times, April 8, 2020

  • "How to Hold Elections during a Pandemic" - National Review, April 7, 2020

  • "Why Vote-by-Mail Could be a Legal Nightmare in November" - Politico, April 7, 2020

  • "More voting by mail would make the 2020 election safer for our health. But it comes with risks of its own." - The Washington Post, April 6, 2020

  • "How experts worry the coronavirus outbreak could cloud the 2020 general election" - ABC News, April 2, 2020

  • "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the country must move toward vote by mail, setting up a fight with Trump" - CNBC, March 31, 2020

  • "Experts are warning coronavirus puts the integrity of the 2020 election at risk. Here's what could happen in November." - CNN, March 29, 2020

  • "Some Remain Skeptical About Voting By Mail — Even During A Pandemic" - NPR, March 29, 2020

  • "The Cybersecurity 202: Nationwide voting by mail will be a massive undertaking say those who've done it" - The Washington Post, March 27, 2020

  • "Coronavirus is generating a surge of interest in voting by mail in the 2020 presidential election. It’s not a panacea." - South Florida Sun Sentinel, March 27, 2020

  • "We Must Vote in November. This Is How to Ensure That We Can." - The New York Times, March 26, 2020

  • "What It Will Take to Protect the 2020 Election" - Politico, March 26, 2020

  • "Preserve Our Election" - National Review, March 20, 2020


General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Election Emergencies," March 16, 2020
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