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Consumer Reports: Your Guide to Voting During the Pandemic
https://www.consumerreports.org/voting/guide-to-voting-during-the-pandemic/. . .
We need to make plans for things we used to not think about before,” says David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. “In that sense, voting during the COVID era is like going to the supermarket.”
What’s more, thinking ahead about November’s elections can have a beneficial effect: The more people who do so, experts say, the more smoothly the election is likely to go.
Here’s what you need to understand about your voting options and concerns, and what you need to do:
Check Your Voter Registration Status
You’ve probably heard it a million times: “Register to vote.” And you probably ignored it almost as often, either because you assume you’re already registered or because you’ve never had any trouble voting in the past.
But things may be different this year. Some states have purged voter rolls, and many of the ways that voters ordinarily register aren’t available because of the COVID crisis. “Department of Motor Vehicle closures, limited in-person interactions, and a halt to large public gatherings have curbed traditional sources of registration, such as motor voter and get-out-the-vote registration drives,” says a study by the Center for Election Innovation and Research.
. . .
Mail-In or Absentee Voting
Mail-in voting is, by its nature, the surest way to avoid long lines and minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus.
That’s why Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political science professor who runs the U.S. Elections Project, estimates that at least 50 percent of the votes cast in November will be by mail-in ballot.
The rules and restrictions for mail-in voting vary by state—but, Becker says, “there is no state where you can’t vote by mail.”
. . .
Is Voting By Mail Secure?
Some people, including President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr, have argued against mail-in voting, suggesting that it enables large-scale election fraud. But voting experts consistently dispute that. “Voter fraud has been analyzed extensively, and there is zero evidence of extensive election fraud,” says Becker, pointing to definitive work by the Brennan Center for Justice showing that mail-ballot fraud is “incredibly rare” and rates of it “infinitesimally small.”
Ben Hovland, the Trump-nominated head of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, agrees that the incidence of voter fraud in general is “historically rare” because “there are just so many safeguards in place.”
. . .
Early In-Person Voting
Early voting, now available in about 40 states, is an increasingly popular option. More than 16 million Americans cast early ballots in the 2018 midterm elections, not counting mail-in ballots, according to data collected by the U.S. Elections Project.
And because early voting spreads voters across a longer period of time, it’s usually an effective way for them to avoid the crowds and long lines at polling stations on Election Day and thereby decrease their risk of contracting COVID—assuming they take reasonable health and safety precautions (more on that below).
. . .
Voting on Election Day
If you vote this way, you could face lines made longer because of social distancing and in some cases by reduced polling locations and staff shortages.
If you have no other choice, though, at least try to show up during off-peak times. The middle of the day tends to be best, says Becker. Definitely avoid the end-of-the-day rush if you can.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued special COVID-19 safety recommendations for voters, many of which are similar to the healthy behaviors you should practice during a trip to the supermarket: wear a mask; maintain at least 6 feet of social distance; cover your coughs and sneezes; use hand sanitizer often, especially after touching frequently touched surfaces (such as doorknobs and voting machines); avoid touching your face; and wash your hands thoroughly afterward.
. . .
We need to make plans for things we used to not think about before,” says David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. “In that sense, voting during the COVID era is like going to the supermarket.”
What’s more, thinking ahead about November’s elections can have a beneficial effect: The more people who do so, experts say, the more smoothly the election is likely to go.
Here’s what you need to understand about your voting options and concerns, and what you need to do:
Check Your Voter Registration Status
You’ve probably heard it a million times: “Register to vote.” And you probably ignored it almost as often, either because you assume you’re already registered or because you’ve never had any trouble voting in the past.
But things may be different this year. Some states have purged voter rolls, and many of the ways that voters ordinarily register aren’t available because of the COVID crisis. “Department of Motor Vehicle closures, limited in-person interactions, and a halt to large public gatherings have curbed traditional sources of registration, such as motor voter and get-out-the-vote registration drives,” says a study by the Center for Election Innovation and Research.
. . .
Mail-In or Absentee Voting
Mail-in voting is, by its nature, the surest way to avoid long lines and minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus.
That’s why Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political science professor who runs the U.S. Elections Project, estimates that at least 50 percent of the votes cast in November will be by mail-in ballot.
The rules and restrictions for mail-in voting vary by state—but, Becker says, “there is no state where you can’t vote by mail.”
. . .
Is Voting By Mail Secure?
Some people, including President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr, have argued against mail-in voting, suggesting that it enables large-scale election fraud. But voting experts consistently dispute that. “Voter fraud has been analyzed extensively, and there is zero evidence of extensive election fraud,” says Becker, pointing to definitive work by the Brennan Center for Justice showing that mail-ballot fraud is “incredibly rare” and rates of it “infinitesimally small.”
Ben Hovland, the Trump-nominated head of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, agrees that the incidence of voter fraud in general is “historically rare” because “there are just so many safeguards in place.”
. . .
Early In-Person Voting
Early voting, now available in about 40 states, is an increasingly popular option. More than 16 million Americans cast early ballots in the 2018 midterm elections, not counting mail-in ballots, according to data collected by the U.S. Elections Project.
And because early voting spreads voters across a longer period of time, it’s usually an effective way for them to avoid the crowds and long lines at polling stations on Election Day and thereby decrease their risk of contracting COVID—assuming they take reasonable health and safety precautions (more on that below).
. . .
Voting on Election Day
If you vote this way, you could face lines made longer because of social distancing and in some cases by reduced polling locations and staff shortages.
If you have no other choice, though, at least try to show up during off-peak times. The middle of the day tends to be best, says Becker. Definitely avoid the end-of-the-day rush if you can.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued special COVID-19 safety recommendations for voters, many of which are similar to the healthy behaviors you should practice during a trip to the supermarket: wear a mask; maintain at least 6 feet of social distance; cover your coughs and sneezes; use hand sanitizer often, especially after touching frequently touched surfaces (such as doorknobs and voting machines); avoid touching your face; and wash your hands thoroughly afterward.
. . .
