COVID-19 Underscores the Need for Voting Reform
by Michael Latner and Taofik Oladipo, Union of Concerned Scientists, July 2020
Abstract: Earlier this year, experts projected that voter turnout in the November 2020 election could be the largest in decades. Voter enthusiasm riding a surge that emerged in the 2018 midterms led these experts to estimate 65 percent or higher turnout among eligible voters, mean more than 150 million citizens may seek to cast their votes.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, it has become clear that the United States cannot conduct a free and fair election under current conditions. Sixteen states postponed their primaries as concern about the virus spread; this is not an option in November. In states that have gone forward with voting, in-person turnout has plunged.
Nobody should have to risk their life to vote. In order to avoid a nationwide breakdown like this in November, states need a massive infusion of resources into vote-by-mail capacity and provision of emergency, eary, in-person voting centers. Verification of traceable ballots must be accurate and timely, and election officials need a tansparent and standardized process to ensure an accurate count.
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