Guest Opinion | How do we hold 2020 elections?

— from Hedrick Smith —

Okay, America, how do we hold the 2020 elections under the threat of the coronavirus?

Wisconsin’s answer was to bull ahead with the old system for its primary election on Tuesday, pushed by Republican leaders of the state legislature who said it would cause chaos and confusion to postpone the state’s elections. Democratic Governor Tony Evers, worried foremost about public health, issued an executive order to suspend in-person voting and delay the primary until June.

But the governor was overruled by the Wisconsin Supreme Court which asserted that the state legislature, not the governor, has the legal authority to set election dates. The legislature insisted on voting Tuesday,  even though 111  cities and towns lacked enough workers to operate the polls. Milwaukee could only open 5 of 180 polling sites.

So Wisconsin struggled – masked voters stretched out in long lines to play it safe yet determined to cast their votes. The mood was querulous.  “No one should have to choose between risking their health and possibly dying and going to vote,” said 31-year-old Milwaukee County supervisor Marcelia Nicholson. “This is ridiculous,” protested the sign held by one unhappy voter. Others complained that they had to show up in person because they never got the absentee ballots that they had requested.

Eight States Shift to Voting-at-Home

But Wisconsin was the oddball. The governors of 15 other states, Republicans as well as Democrats, postponed their April elections and eight of those – Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, and Wyoming – took the bold step of declaring their elections would be conducted entirely by mail.

Which States are using Voting by Mail in 2020?

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