Elections 2020: why it is better to vote in advance and how to do it

Less than 70 days are left before the presidential elections. America is experiencing several crises at once: a raging pandemic, a crisis in the US Postal Service, the threat of foreign interference and a lot of misinformation. All of this raises a serious question: How do you get your vote to count in the 2020 elections? Tells Vox.

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Voting in the midst of a pandemic looks different than usual. Those who choose to vote in person, voters and polling staff, may have to distance themselves from others and wear masks. Many people may opt out of voting in person altogether: The number of Americans voting by mail is expected to double from 2016.

A series of cost-cutting measures have led to delays in the delivery of mail by the US Postal Service, which critics feared could undermine the USPS 'ability to sort and deliver ballots on time for counting, potentially disqualifying millions of voters from voting. Since then, the USPS has put the changes on hold, with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy assuring lawmakers that the November elections are his "number one priority."

But the primaries season did not go smoothly amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The Washington Post reported that about half a million mailed ballots were rejected due to a combination of late delivery and voter errors.

All of this undermines confidence in democracy this November and, possibly, in the election results themselves.

The voting system in the United States had serious problems before the pandemic and will continue to have them in the absence of reforms. Reforms will not take place until November 3, and many states will start sending newsletters in just a few weeks.

Here's a guide on how voters can better navigate elections. Top tip: don't wait.

"If you want to make it easier, there are two words: 'Plan ahead,'" said David Becker, executive director and founder of the Center for Research on Innovation and Elections.

Make a plan and do it ahead of time

There is a lot of talk about drawing up a "voting plan".

“Make a plan now about how you are going to vote,” former President Barack Obama said in his speech at the Democratic National Convention in the last week of August. “Do this as early as possible, and also tell your family and friends about how they can vote.”

This plan has one guiding principle, and you can probably guess it: do everything—everything, everything, everything—as early as possible.

The first step is the most important: make sure you can vote... Find out if you are registered as a voter. Even if you think so, you can double-check and make sure your information is up to date. Do it now at the state or local county election website you can find here.

The best way to find voting information and deadlines is to contact your state or local elections office, which, again, you can track here... It is also worth checking all the deadlines and requirements for voting. This can help you decide which way you can and want to vote: by mail or in person.

Action checklist:

• Check your registration. If you haven't registered yet, please do so now.
• If any information is inaccurate or out of date, please update it now. Details and deadlines for registration to vote can be found on the website of your local election commission.
• Decide how you want to vote and review the timeline for each option. This will mainly be a mail or personal vote.

Should you vote by mail?

If you can and want to, you need to do it early.

Many states are planning to offer voters the option of mail-in ballots this year. Some states are mailing a ballot to every registered voter, either because they have done so for a long time or because they adopted this policy due to Covid-19. A total of nine states (plus Washington, D.C.) send ballots to all eligible voters: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington.

About 35 more states will allow voters to mail ballots without explanation, or will accept Covid-19 as an excuse. Some of these states, such as Delaware, send mailing requests for ballots to everyone. In other cases, you must request a ballot directly from your local electoral office. There are a few other states where you must provide a specific reason for not voting: Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and South Carolina.

Maybe you are thinking: okay, I can vote by mail, but should I? If you are going to rely on mail to vote, do it early. This means request your newsletter right away if you need to request it. And when you receive it, complete it and send it back ASAP.

On the subject: Millions of Americans could lose their vote in elections due to mail delays

The rush is mainly due to the new postmaster general Louis DeJoy, a Trump ally appointed in June. Since its inception, the USPS has deployed cost-cutting measures that have resulted in serious delays in mail handling: reorganizing staff, reducing the number of daily travel of mail trucks, and decommissioning sorting machines used for newsletters.

The pandemic and DeJoy's actions have raised legitimate concerns about the USPS's ability to deliver millions of mail ballots in November. The USPS also warned 46 states and Washington, DC that it cannot guarantee that all ballots are delivered in time for the counting process. Voters accused DeJoy of sabotaging the system, to which he stated that he would suspend any operational changes until after the elections.

But for you personally, again, do it early. Even if the mail works flawlessly, if you delay until the last moment, it may be too late. If you still don't want to send your newsletter as soon as possible, give yourself at least a full week before the sending deadline. And check the deadline carefully; some states require ballots to be actually received on or before election day, while others rely on the postmark of dispatch rather than actual receipt.

It is important to know that if you receive your newsletter by mail, it is not always necessary to send it in the same way. Voters can leave ballots at their local election commissions. Many states and localities have secure letter boxes and voters can often leave ballots at polling stations (find out in your commission).

However, every year, not just 2020, many mail-order ballots are rejected. This is not because of voter fraud, as President Trump has claimed. Sometimes the ballots arrive too late. In other cases, voters forget to sign their ballot or accidentally damage it.

This is a serious problem and voters should read the instructions carefully. If you are confused about any step in the process, call your local election commission. Completion on time does not mean that you should act in a hurry.

About 40 states also allow you to track your ballot, much like you track an Amazon or UPS package. The amount of information the state gives you varies (check!), You can also trace its way back: when the election officials receive it, and sometimes whether your ballot is counted or rejected. And if it gets rejected, some states have ways to fix it so your vote can be counted. This is another reason to do everything earlier.

The experts also stressed that at any stage of the process, if something goes wrong, you can call the local election commission. If you request a newsletter but do not receive it, call. If you are not sure about the timeline or the rules, call. Problems will arise, but solving them in mid-October will be much easier than, say, November 2.

Action checklist:

• Check your state regulations. If you are eligible to vote by mail, check the deadlines and make sure they work for you.
• If your state does not automatically send you a ballot or application to vote, request a ballot as soon as possible.
• If possible, register to track the newsletter.
• When you receive your newsletter, read the instructions. If you have questions, please call your local election officials. Please fill out your newsletter carefully.
• Decide how you are going to return it to the election officials. If you are mailing it, do so as soon as possible. If you plan to leave it on the lot, check what places may be available in your state, and do so as soon as possible.
• If you request a ballot but do not receive it, call your local election commission.
• If you are planning to vote by mail but are afraid you will not meet the deadline, call your election officials and see what options you have.

What about personal voting?

Voting in person will still be an option on Election Day. The decision to vote in person during a pandemic is your own. There are always risks, but election officials across the country are taking steps to make voting in person as safe as possible.

Polling stations across the country are likely to introduce social distancing measures and personal protective equipment for workers. Some sports teams have lent their local arenas to give voters more space.

But if you plan to vote in person, the same rule applies: do it earlier. About 40 states offer some form of early voting. But the dates and rules vary by state and county, so check them (for example, on mobile card). Some states have changed their rules—for example, Texas extended early voting by six days due to Covid-19—and polling locations change from year to year, so check it all out now.

Action checklist:

• Decide if you are comfortable voting in person. Check with your election office if you need more information on security protocols. This will also vary from state to state, county to county.
• Check your polling station.
• Vote early.
• Don't expect quick results.

Just because you're voting early doesn't mean election officials will count everything as quickly as possible. Americans are not going to find out who won on election night. And the morning after the elections too. Especially considering how many people will be voting absentee and that many states will be doing so for the first time. Counting such votes is a labor-intensive process.

But a delay in results is not a bad thing, in fact, given more time to count votes, the ability to correct glitches and technical errors, and give voters a chance to correct a mail ballot if it is rejected.

Add to that the unprecedented change that the pandemic has brought: states are modernizing their systems to enable mailing of newsletters. They need to hire and train employees, purchase personal protective equipment.

“This election cycle has more change, more concern about the pandemic and more enthusiasm for voting, all happening at once, more than we've ever seen,” the US Center for Innovation and Elections said. “So we have more voters, fewer poll workers, fewer polling places and limited resources.”

However, the federal government could do more to help: namely, provide resources to states and localities to manage elections safely and efficiently, and help inform their constituents of any changes in election rules.

HEROES ACT, a $ 3 trillion stimulus bill, included $ 3,6 billion for local and state governments to prepare and plan for elections. But negotiations on this law in the Senate have reached an impasse, where they remain.

On the subject: Trump or Biden: whose victory is predicted by scientists who guessed the results of the US elections more than once

Early voting is good for you—and good for democracy.

Voting, with or without a pandemic, has always been a problem in the United States. There are long lines at polling stations. The voting machines break down.

Things are expected to be the same, and the pandemic will make it worse. States that have never had universal mail-order voting are going to implement it for the first time. A shortage of staff to vote can mean fewer polling stations and longer queues. The voting process may take longer due to social distancing and disinfection.

Thus, Americans will not be able to vote at the last minute. The sooner you do this, the higher the chances of successful vote counting.

It's more than just making sure your vote counts. It will also help all of your fellow Americans who are busy, have inflexible work schedules or are late, undecided - and also have every right to vote when they are confident in their choice. And if everyone goes to vote at different times, then there won’t be a big influx of people. It will also be easier to fix crashes.

It also helps protect against other voting problems, such as disinformation or even foreign interference. These online propaganda efforts tend to have their greatest impact as we get closer to Election Day—when there is less time to fact-check or refute and the time window narrows.

Think of it like wearing a mask, but for democracy. Planning and voting early gives you more confidence that your vote will be counted, and the more people do it, the more likely other voters will do the same. Ultimately, this will make elections more efficient and fair for all. And everyone can be more confident that their vote will be counted.

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