IN-PERSON VOTING OR ABSENTEE BALLOTS? BLACK VOTERS WANT BOTH
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By Renaldo Pearson
Director of External Affairs, RepresentUs |
August 20, 2020
Voting in my family is as important as going to church. Grandma ___ and Grandpa ____ took me with them to vote when I was a kid. Now I take them to vote.
Black Americans cherish voting in person. But that tradition is threatened in the time of Covid-19. We’ve seen long lines - often in Black neighborhoods - because of a dramatic reduction in polling sites. Faced with risking their health - Covid is especially dangerous to Black people - voters may choose to stay home.
Absentee ballots are not a perfect remedy. First, some counties did not get absentee ballots out in time. For example, Uncle Bill’s absentee ballot arrived for the Maryland primary, but Aunt Maggie’s did not. Second, Black voters don’t trust absentee ballots, with 41 percent worrying their mail-in ballot won’t be counted. Third, many Black voters have no experience voting by mail, as only 11 percent voted absentee in the 2018 congressional midterms, compared to 23.5 percent of white voters. Finally, research shows younger, first-time and minority voters are more likely to have their ballots rejected.
There are things we can - and must - do to get ready for November.
Primary season taught us that absentee voting and early voting does not not cancel out the need for in-person voting. Elections administrators must set up enough voting sites for everyone who wants to vote in person. These sites must be sanitary and accommodate social distancing. In-person voting sites are vital for people with disabilities and those with address changes, as well in states with same-day voter registration.
States have to get their act together regarding absentee ballot delivery. A Wisconsin audit of that state’s primary determined elections offices should have clear deadlines for sending out absentee ballots, and the postal service should be included in planning.
All Americans should be able to access absentee ballots in November. Some states made exceptions to their policies requiring a valid excuse for primary elections. (My organization, RepresentUs, tracks absentee ballot policies on our website.) States must do the same for November. States should invest in voter education about how to obtain an absentee ballot and fill it out properly. Congress should approve resources for states to implement robust absentee ballot programs.
Covid has exposed the voter suppression that has been in place since …..
Voting is sacred in my family. I don’t know if we’ll be voting in person together, or texting each other reminders to mail our absentee ballots. Grandma ___, Grandpa ____, Uncle Bill and Aunt Maggie deserve to stay healthy -- and vote how they choose.