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Holding safe elections in November will be a lot easier than finding a COVID-19 vaccine, but we urgently need to start now if we want to get it right. (1/11)
We can’t predict who will have difficulty voting on Election Day or in what numbers—they might be ill, caring for someone, working at a hospital, or in a high-risk group for COVID-19. (2/11)
We should set a goal now to have half of all ballots completed in November without a visit to a polling place. (We need polling places too, which I’ll get to.) How do we do it, you ask? (3/11)
1. All states should consider distributing ballots by mail. They could be mailed back by the voter, or dropped off at a specific location like local election offices. (4/11)
2. States should update their laws to allow for “no-excuse” absentee balloting. 31 states and D.C. allow this. (5/11)
3. Expand early voting. It's already been gaining popularity and, if expanded, will be a huge help during the pandemic. Spreading voting out over time means fewer lines and less exposure. (6/11)
Ok, now for polling places, which are still essential. (7/11)
4. Make Election Day a national holiday. Before-work and after-work crowding will be too risky. States could even make a suggested, staggered voting schedule based on your birthday, or the first letter on your license plate. (8/11)
5. Safeguard polling places using everything we’re learning now. Poll workers will need PPE. Machines will have to be sanitized. We will need more people in low-risk groups to work at the polls. (9/11)
We’ll need curbside and drive-through solutions, just like we use now for carry-out. Every day we are adapting to the pandemic in ways that we can directly apply to making voting safe for everyone. (10/11)
One final note—each party has their own myths on what happens when the electorate expands. But we don’t have the evidence to answer that question one way or the other. It's our democracy, not any one party, that depends on getting this right. (11/11)
