President Trump’s Newest Wall: a Q&A
By: Yewon Lee
A cartoon in response to President Trump’s tweet about mail-in voting being the most inaccurate and fraudulent means of an election, as well as wanting to delay the election date.
Q: Can the President delay the general election?
A: By himself, no. The Presidential Election Day Act of 1945 set the day to the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. Technically, the date could be moved but only with approval from the Congress which is unlikely as both Republicans and Democrats appear to oppose the idea.
Q: How common is mail-in voting?
A: More common than what most people think. In the 2016 presidential election, approximately ¼ of all votes were cast by mail. In this election cycle, only 9 states and the District of Columbia are opting for universal mail-in voting so far, which means every registered voter in that state will receive a mail-in ballot. Most other states are making mail-in voting an option (by request only).
Q: Is there an advantage to one party or the other when instituting wide scale mail in voting?
A: Possibly, but that’s not the point of mail voting. What we do know for sure is that mail voting increases voter participation especially among young people. When Colorado switched to universal mail voting, the turnout increased by 9 percent, doubled in the young voter population, and the state has one of the highest voter turnout rates. Other studies and analyses show that mail in votes help both parties evenly; whichever the case, the point of mail in voting isn’t to favor one party, but to help more people engage with their democracy and civic duty, and encourage more citizens to actually vote.
Q: Will results be delayed? If so, why?
A: Counting, verifying, and resolving problems with mail in voting can take a long time. However, the public needs to know that just because the results might take longer than usual, it doesn’t mean the results are necessarily inaccurate.
Q: What problems are there with mail-in voting?
A: In the primaries, thousands of absentee ballots in WI were never received. In NJ, 10% of mail ballots were considered invalid or arrived too late for the official count. The problem isn’t so much about voter fraud- in universal mail in elections, ballots are only sent to registered voters and each is verified by the state. The problem is with incorrect fill-outs, mail backups, delays in verifying results.
Q: What are some possible solutions to the problems of mail in voting?
A: Educate voters on how to properly request, sign, complete, and send back a ballot; this will help reduce the number of ballots that are rejected on the basis of incompleteness. Provide alternative ways to send the ballot, such as Colorado’s drop off boxes designated specifically for ballots; this will help reduce mail delays and mail mix-ups. As of now, the last day for state canvassing (state election certification) will be December 7th, so there are 35 days between Election Day (Nov 3) and then; from the primaries, we know that might not be enough time, especially in states that have little experience with higher volume mail-in voting. Instead of delaying the election, one proposed solution is to delay the canvassing deadline and when electors meet; this could help states much more time to process and deal with ballot disputes.
Concluding Remarks: Please remember to educate yourself and peers, especially those who will be eligible to vote this November. Keep up with how your state will deal with mail-in registration, absentee ballots, safety of in-person ballots, etc. with this resource.
Cartoon Credits: Chris Britt (creators.com)