The coronavirus pandemic will certainly affect the way in which we vote this year, but it will not stop us. Thanks to the use of mail-in ballots, it’s possible to vote without having to leave your house. Organizations like the U.S. Public Research Interest Group and Brennan Center for Justice say this method is safe, secure, and allows you to skip long Election Day lines.
Though the Trump administration has undercut efforts to prepare for a massive surge of requests in mail-in ballots, many millions of Americans are expected to rely on this method to vote in November.
To learn more about voting by mail, Teen Vogue got in touch with Virginia Kase, CEO of the League of Women Voters, and Mara Suttmann-Lea, assistant professor of American politics in the department of government and international relations at Connecticut College.
Why use this method?
Kase pointed to a number of benefits for voting by mail. As she put it in an email to Teen Vogue, “It is hands down the safest method of voting — especially as we continue to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Voting by mail is also one of the most convenient options because it allows you to cast your ballot from the comfort of your home. You can pull up VOTE411.org and research your candidates and ballot questions as you fill out your ballot from your couch! I voted by mail this past June for the first time and it was super easy — so easy that I’ll definitely be casting my ballot by mail again in November.”
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As Suttmann-Lea added in an email to Teen Vogue, voting by mail “allows the voter the convenience of casting a ballot without having to navigate potentially long lines or vote at times that are inconvenient to them for work or family-related reasons. It also allows voters the chance to really sit down and consider the different items on their ballot, which in many states not only includes candidates for elected office, but complex ballot initiatives.”
“In the midst of the pandemic, the public health benefits of voting by mail are immense,” she added. “Social distancing can be especially challenging in polling places. Sometimes polling places are located in large gyms that have more airflow and ventilation. But they can also be located in church basements and smaller spaces with far less room. Voting by mail alleviates many of these public health concerns.”
How do you know if you can vote by mail?
To find out if you’re eligible, Kase suggests checking VOTE411.org to review your state’s requirements (and keep in mind that voting by mail is often referred to as “absentee voting”). Each state has its own rules and regulations, which can be different than those specified for in-person voting. “Due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, many states have expanded their eligibility requirements for who can take advantage of vote-by-mail options,” Kase said. “Some states have even gone as far as mailing ballots directly to every registered voter. There are a few states that only permit senior citizens and Americans living abroad to vote absentee and [require] others [to] provide an excuse such as a disability or illness.”
According to Suttmann-Lea, two thirds of states allow any eligible voter to request mail ballots without an excuse. She pointed Teen Vogue readers to a recent report from the Brookings Institute as “a great resource for identifying how well states do in making mail voting accessible and available in the context of the pandemic,” and a separate report from the National Conference of State Legislatures for more information on “some of the legislative and executive actions that have been taken in response to the pandemic.”
So, how do you apply to vote by mail?
Another online tool, Vote.org, provides a useful resource detailing guidelines and rules for casting mail ballots in each state. It even provides forms that allow voters to request the ballots themselves.
Kase recommends visiting VOTE411.org, which “has a first-time voter checklist with guidelines for those who are new to the voting process.”
Pay close attention to deadlines, since they vary widely by state.
What are some concerns about going this route?
Unfortunately, like all methods of voting, casting ballots by mail has its flaws. One drawback is a lag in learning the final results of races.
As Suttmann-Lea said, “We’ve already seen election tallies being delayed because of an influx of mail voting (take, for example, the Democratic Senate primary in Kentucky). A delay in counting is not a problem in and of itself; a careful and thorough tabulation of ballots is of paramount importance. But there are concerns that counting delays may affect citizen confidence in election outcomes, especially if there is a shift in vote leads as more mail ballots come in. While such shifts are generally normal, especially if there are [a] large number of mail ballots, changes in vote leads are ripe for accusations of tampering and fraud.”
The huge uptick in requests for mail ballots during the pandemic is also putting a strain on state elections officials and the U.S. Postal Service, as New York Magazine reported. An analysis conducted by NPR found that as of mid-July, at least 65,000 absentee or mail-in ballots cast in 2020 primary elections were rejected because they arrived past the deadline, “often through no fault of the voter.” Sometimes the ballot deliveries were delayed. Other times ballots were rejected because of missing or mismatched signatures, according to NPR’s review. Kase told Teen Vogue that the League of Women Voters have filed lawsuits in states that saw these issues “to ensure that voters are protected, and their ballots will be counted.”
“The League of Women Voters has been encouraging election officials to scale their plans and prepare for an increased demand for mail-in ballots this fall,” Kase said, which “means printing more ballots and envelopes in advance to meet the needs of voters who want to have their voices heard while practicing social distancing. We are also reminding states that it’s critical for them to provide pre-paid postage on return envelopes, provide ballots in braille, and translate ballots for non-English speaking communities.”
Democrats requested a $25 billion bailout in their recent proposal for a new COVID-19 stimulus package, but Trump vocally rejected it, saying, correctly, that lawmakers want the money “in order to make the Post Office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots.” The USPS has warned states that voters may not be able to get ballots back to election offices in time to be counted, as CNN reported.
Make sure you request your ballot as early as possible, as the strain on the USPS will increase as the election draws closer.
What about the fraud issues Trump and his supporters have raised?
It’s important to mention remarks President Trump has made about voting by mail, such as his tweets that this method of voting will cause this year’s presidential election to be “rigged.” Voting rights experts say that these claims are both false and harmful to public perceptions.
Kase points out that voting by mail “has been done in this country for many, many years” and that “there are reliable safeguards, just like in-person voting, that ensure it is secure and verifiable.”
“There is no record of massive or serious election manipulation through mail-in voting and any accusation otherwise is just that — an unproven accusation,” she continued. “Don’t fall for it!”
Suttmann-Lea points out that “about 24% of all ballots” in the 2016 elections “were cast by mail,” and “about 1%” of the total amount of mail-in ballots (33.2 million) “were not counted.” While issues can arise with voting by mail, the same can be said about voting in person. “Some voters may not have the proper identification on them, for example, or the time to go home and retrieve one,” she said. “Moreover, there can be discrepancies in how poll workers evaluate signatures.”
If you’re still wondering what is the best way to vote this November, it’s ultimately up to you to decide what works for you. A vote is a vote, no matter how you cast it.
Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: The Coronavirus Could Dramatically Alter Voting in the 2020 Election
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