This year’s general election is shaping up to be the one in the history books Between planned postal ballots, waves of early voting and a slew of new coronavirus-related safety precautions, the global pandemic has shaped almost every facet of voting
National and local election officials have been preparing for this most unusual election cycle for months With early voting already underway in all 50 states, here’s what voters can expect before November 3 and beyond
Often a service used by those living abroad, such as the military, but increasingly popular, postal voting has taken on new importance in the pandemic, with more than 80 million people being asked to on this day in this general election cycle the previous presidential election and more than half of the total votes cast in 2016
As of October 14, more than 15 million mail-in ballots were returned to California – far exceeding 150,000 at the same time of the season in 2016 – according to the Secretary of State’s office. state which already had a significant percentage of voters who chose to vote by mail This year, the state also decided to send ballots to all active voters for the first time – one of the main ways to postal voting has been made more accessible for this year’s elections
Postal voting « is going to be the real story of this cycle, » Matthew Weil, director of the Elections project at the Bipartisan Policy Center told ABC News « The jump from 2016 to 2020 is going to be huge, » he said
In the 2016 general election, 33,378,450 missing ballots were returned, according to the US Election Assistance Commission – representing 237% of all votes cast
Based on evidence from the primary elections since the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the Bipartisan Policy Center has estimated that 50% to 70% of all ballots will be missing this year Weil now estimates that number is rising sits in the lower end of this range, noting that « even 50% will be a significant increase from 2016 »
For the general election, at least 30 states and the District of Columbia made at least a few changes that will make it easier and easier for voters to vote from their homes These changes include removing strict apology requirements or allowing COVID-19 concerns to be a valid excuse to vote by mail, authorizing ballot boxes, offering prepaid postage on Election mailing and proactive sending of all requests from active registered voters to request an absent ballot – with some, like California, skipping this step and sending the ballots
Unlike in past elections, there is also a partisan preference for mail-in ballots, Weil noted. Nearly 10 million more registered Democrats have requested mail-in votes compared to registered Republicans, according to the US Draft Elections Outside the University of Florida
Repeated attempts by President Donald Trump to cast doubt on postal voting add to this year’s complexities with bogus and conspiratorial allegations of voter fraud Legal experts told ABC News there was no evidence of widespread or systematic voter fraud with postal voting
Voters Should Avoid Making Mistakes With Their Mail-In Ballots In the 2016 general election, around 1% – 318,728 – of missing ballots were rejected, according to the Electoral Assistance Commission The most common grounds for rejection were « failure to meet the deadline, the signature on the ballot not matching the signature on the state records, and the ballot not bearing a signature. » , said the commission
This rejection rate remained low overall in 2018, but increasing, to 14%, according to an ABC News analysis
« With a lot of voters voting in a different way than they’ve ever done before, » Weil said, « are we going to see more of those missing ballots being rejected? »
Find out how to correctly fill out your mail-in ballot and prevent it from being rejected here
With early voting already underway in all states, some counties have registered record numbers of in-person voters
Amid the historic turnout, long lines were reported at some polling stations – although experts are quick to point out that long lines don’t necessarily mean long wait times and that voters should not be dissuaded from voting accordingly
« Long lines aren’t necessarily a bad thing, » Hannah Klain, a member of the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice Institute of Law and Policy, told ABC News. « This hopefully means that the voting site applies social distancing, that people keep their distance when queuing to vote, that only a limited number of people are allowed to access the voting space. both in order to manage the crowds »
A serpentine line may seem intimidating, but « don’t let a long line put you off, » she said Voters should be prepared to see them, Weil added
That doesn’t mean long wait times aren’t an issue, Klain said, and election officials might need to sort them out throughout the early voting process. Due to the coronavirus, there may be limits on the number of voting machines at voting sites to prevent too many people from being inside at one time When early voting began in Georgia last week, some wait times hit five hours Counties that had long queues were working to add more voting material where possible, officials said last week
Some state counties like Texas, North Carolina, and Nevada are implementing online wait time technology so you can see the expected wait on your voting site
“This is a more forward-looking use of technology in our electoral arena,” said Klain “It’s exciting to see and useful, especially in a year where, again, we are seeing rates high participation »
Klain and Weil recommend that voters who intend to vote in person to vote early if they can
“If people show up and the wait time is so long they can’t wait, you can always come back another early polling day,” Klain said “Election day is a story totally different You only have one bite of this apple «
If you’re concerned about the weather, you can also avoid waiting outside for a potentially cold or rainy November. 3 by voting earlier, Weil said
« We should try to reduce polling day pressure as much as possible at polling stations, » he said « If individually we can all make this decision, I think the whole election season will be better »
Socially distant lines aren’t the only security measures at stake this election cycle Plexiglass petitions between voters and polling officers, hand sanitizing stations and curbside voting options aren’t just a few of the new sites voters may come across while voting during a pandemic
The Bipartisan Policy Center has partnered with the Cleveland Clinic to provide voting safety advice this year. Their recommendations include « bring your own supplies, like hand sanitizer, ink pen for ballots. vote paper or stylus for touchscreen devices « Just be sure to check with an election official before using your own supplies, they note
Precautions may vary by state and even county The Brennan Center is working closely with Harris County, Texas, where new measures this election cycle include disposable plastic finger covers to wear while touching voting machines
« We are seeing innovations like this across the country, » Klain said. « I think county election officials are doing their best to keep people safe »
Among the recommendations it made with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Brennan Center also advises voters to avoid bringing unnecessary people, such as children or other eligible family members without voting rights, instead of voting
« We want to limit the number of people at the polls to those who have to vote, » Klain said
If you are unsure of the current voting rules in your area, Weil recommends that you head to canivoteorg, run by the National Association of Secretaries of State, for the latest information
« I think this is the gold standard, » he said « You want voters to look to their state election officials »
With so many changes and, in some cases, legal challenges to voting this year due to the pandemic, Klain recommends figuring out when you’re going to vote, and then checking information like polling locations and times. opening with local election offices
“Things change even in real time,” she said “We want to make sure people have the most accurate and up-to-date information when making decisions and crafting a voting plan »
Whether you’ve already decided to vote by mail or in person early on, Weil recommends sticking to it to avoid increasing the burden on election officials.For example, if you’ve requested a vote by mail but then decide to vote in person, it takes longer and puts more strain on the registration system
If you plan to vote in person, be prepared in advance: pack supplies such as a mask, hand sanitizer, ink pen or stylus, and any relevant voting materials
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On a general election night, Americans are used to knowing who has won the presidency and other races relatively quickly thanks to news agency projections.But with a record number of missing ballots expected, there are fears that some states, especially battlefields, may be overwhelmed with ballot counting on election day
The rules for processing and counting mail-in ballots vary from state to state, ranging from some that allow for the immediate processing and counting of mail-in ballots when submitted, to those who only start counting them on polling day Some rules have temporarily changed to accommodate the expected increase in the pandemic, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures
For Weil, there have been no significant changes in state election laws to allow election officials to count those ballots sooner, given the increase in absentee votes
As a result, it could be some time before the presidential election results are final, with some experts predicting the process could take at least two weeks.
« This will serve voters well on election night so it’s not a big shock, » Weil said, to know that « there may not be an appeal »
Guidelines are in place in case the election is not decided on election night This year, states have until December 8 to table final election results if they want to protect themselves from conflict Usually, this process, governed by obscure 19th-century law, is nothing more than an afterthought, but the potential complexities of vote-counting this year along with the prospect of legal challenges have added a new wrinkle. The Electoral College will then meet on December 14 to officially vote for the president
Early Voting, US Presidential Election 2020, Ballot
World News – United States – Election 2020: Why Voting In The Coronavirus Pandemic Will Be Like None other year
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com