If you thought the process of voting was already confusing during a normal election cycle, the coronavirus pandemic has brought a whole new wave of overwhelming changes to business as usual.
The questions are endless. What’s going on with all of the states that are moving their primary dates? What about November’s general election? Are voters required to cast their ballots in person? And where can people even find election requirements and information if the process is changing on a dime?
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about how states are handling elections in the midst of the health crisis.
Why are states and U.S. territories moving their primary dates, and what’s happening with voting right now in primaries that haven’t taken place yet? How can I still vote?
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, at least 15 states and Puerto Rico have postponed their primaries, many of them moving to the summer to take the pressure off of voters and not exacerbate the dire health situation.
Much of this has to do with the fact that COVID-19, which continues to claim American lives, is highly contagious, and the current voting experience at precincts is a public health hazard. “People can’t physically come into contact,” explains Desiree Barnes, a spokesperson for digital voter engagement tool Vote.org. “Voter turnout is a legitimate worry when it’s dangerous to be around people right now. A voting machine would have to be wiped down between each person going in to vote.” Considering the country’s current situation, that’s just not going to happen.
In response to the changes, Tom Perez, chair of the Democratic National Committee, has encouraged states to consider using voting expansion measures that don’t require in-person contests on a single election day. These include absentee ballots that don’t request an official “excuse,” voting by mail, early voting, and curbside ballot drop-offs.
However, the ability to make these changes largely rests in the hands of individual states; residents can urge their elected representatives to make changes through calls and other digital organizing efforts.
Is there any news about what will happen to the general election if Americans still can’t safely go to the polls?
Because the general election is roughly seven months away, we haven’t yet seen any public plans on how voting protocols will work. But considering that experts are saying we could be dealing with the immediate health effects of the coronavirus outbreak for 18 months or more, it’s highly likely that public officials are already looking at potential changes on Election Day itself, at least in terms of practical on-the-ground guidances for keeping people safe.
On the more improbable-but-still-important-to-consider side of the coin, if the November election can’t take place as expected for whatever reason, that doesn’t mean that Donald Trump and Mike Pence get to stay in office as president and vice president, respectively. Legal experts say the 20th Amendment of the Constitution is clear that both offices are limited to four-year terms and that the executive branch can’t interfere by declaring a state of emergency. If, in the currently unlikely scenario, there were to be a new timeline for the election, a new election law would have to be approved by both chambers of Congress, signed by the president, and survive any court challenges. All of that is an incredibly tall order, especially if it’s going to take place in less than seven months.
So, what happens if the most improbable circumstances occur, where an election absolutely can’t go forward in November and no new election law is created? In theory, a new president would be installed using the line of succession to determine who the replacement would be. In that very far-off framework, there’s the potential for Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to be up for the presidency.
However, lawmakers, constitutional law scholars, and other legal researchers alike are still trying to figure out what would happen in the unlikely scenario of having no November election. There’s not necessarily reason to believe any of these situations would occur at this time, especially since our understanding of the outbreak changes on an hourly basis. Half a year until Election Day is a long way to go in terms of knowing how this pandemic will evolve and what our probably response will be.
Where can I find more information about how my state is handling elections?
Between voter suppression schemes and other logistical barriers, elections are already complicated during a typical election cycle, and the pandemic is only making the process doubly convoluted. Unfortunately, it’s been even more difficult for voters to easily find the information they need to understand the changes in their areas. “Confusion itself is a voter suppression tactic,” Barnes notes.
The government’s USAGov website can help with basic information on individual state election websites, but many of them haven’t been consistently updated and are difficult to navigate. One of the best resources for finding information about the new election rules in each state is Vote.org, which has created an entire COVID response page outlining up-to-date changes, forms, legislation, and other details that voters need.
Barnes says that the most important things that every individual voter should find out immediately if a state primary has been postponed is what the deadline is for registering to vote, what the deadline and eligibility requirements are for absentee voting, and if that state has any other requirements for registering to vote or submitting an official ballot.
And of course, states’ rules are subject to change as the situation with the pandemic unfolds, so voters will need to be hyper-vigilant in checking for shifts in rules and regulations.
What else do I need to know about voting during the pandemic?
Many states already subject residents to a number of voter suppression tactics, including everything from requiring very specific forms of identification to vote to taking people off of voter registration lists without their knowledge. Postponed primary dates don’t mean that these suppression efforts won’t continue or get worse as states work to make elections happen amidst the outbreak.
Barnes also says that Americans need to make sure that there are numerous options for voter rights expansion. “We’d like for every state to have online voter registration,” Barnes says. “And voting by mail is good in theory, but there are people who don’t have addresses that qualify to receive a ballot at home.” For example, many indigenous people on reservations don’t have traditional addresses, and there are large swaths of Americans who only receive mail by P.O. boxes. That means that measures such as early voting are even more critical to ensure that more people can vote.
Lastly, ensure you're prepared to vote.
Use these handy resources courtesy of Vote.org to make sure you're ready to vote if and when the time comes.
Register to vote:
Verify your voter registration:
Lily Herman serves as a contributing editor at Refinery29 and an Election 2020 columnist at Teen Vogue. Follow her on Twitter at: @lkherman.
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