Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this election millions of Americans are planning to vote by mail in order to protect their health and safety. However, this week, the United States Postal Service sent out notices to 46 states that their vote-by mail ballots could be discarded due to postal delay, with a heightened warning to 186 million voters.
Voting rights this election have already been at the forefront of national discussion, with unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud and partisan effort to maintain voting barriers, like signature checks and voter-id laws in place. However our lawmakers may fall along the political spectrum, it is a constitutional right for all American citizens to have access to the ballot box while maintaining their health. The article below outlines the implications of specific policies and issues around vote-by mail.
Prompts
How do these vote by mail policies disproportionately impact low-income, rural, and Native American communities? How do these play into larger systems of inequity?
What other factors contribute to a person’s ability to vote, particularly in this election?
Voting dates for Pennsylvania:
Election day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
The deadline to register online to vote is Monday, October 19, 2020.
The deadline for registering by mail to vote is (postmarked by) Monday, October 19, 2020.
The deadline to register in person to vote is Monday, October 19, 2020.
The deadline to request a ballot by mail is (received by) Tuesday, October 27, 2020.