President Trump made a significant number of false claims during Tuesday nights’ presidential debate, but one topic he was especially dishonest about was mail in voting, despite the fact that there is no real danger to voting by mail.
Trump made claims during the debate that, “the ballots are a disaster,” and “it’s a rigged election.” These claims are false, since fraud occurring in U.S. elections is rare, whether it is in person voting or by mail. In nine states and the District of Columbia, voters will receive mail ballots without having to request them prior. Five of those states that are automatically sending mail ballots, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Hawaii and Washington, have held their elections mostly by mail in the past. There have not been any major instances of fraud since they altered their voting process.
Trump also made the statement that people are being sent two ballots. He stated: “They’re being sent all over the place. They sent two in a Democrat area — they sent out a thousand ballots. Everybody got two ballots. This is going to be a fraud like you’ve never seen.”
What Trump may have been referring to was the error in Fairfax County, Virginia. An estimated 1,000 voters were sent two ballots in this county. Fairfax County officials explained that when anyone returns a ballot with their vote, it is marked in their voter record, so they cannot vote twice. This will not create fraud, since it is being marked if someone casts a vote the first time.
What can be done to counter this misinformation that is spewed by the president and his staff? It is important to spread the truth about mail in voting and encourage public officials to discuss the positivity of mail in voting.
Trump has claimed in the past that with the expansion of mail in voting, “you would never have a Republican elected in this country again.” Mail in voting does increase turnout in elections. Usually turnout is increased in groups that do not vote, such as young people and first time voters. This is most likely because voting by mail is easier for young people who are in college or working full time. When Colorado switched to all mail in voting, the state had an increase in voter turnout of 9 percent. Among young people, the increase was almost double. Turnout also does not change the results of an election as President Trump has claimed. Despite the increase in turnout, neither Democrats or Republicans get a greater increase in vote share.
Public officials also need to educate voters. In 2016, nearly one in four voters cast their ballots by mail. Yet, most Americans still vote in person on Election Day. Citizens are used to heading to their polling place on Election Day to cast their ballot. It makes sense that Americans are concerned about voting by mail if they have never done so before.
Many officials in Democratic states have helped the citizens of their state to vote safely on Election Day. Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey has done an excellent job of educating citizens of New Jersey about the options they have to vote on Election Day. The New Jersey Division of Elections launched a voter information portal as a one stop shop for voters to find information in New Jersey. There are links to see if one is registered, tracking one’s absentee ballot, secure drop box locations, polling locations and more.
Vote Save America has also created a tool to find out how to vote in one’s own state. The website compiled a list of all the states with how to vote, request an absentee ballot and find out election information about an individual’s state. It is often overwhelming for people to find out information on voting, which is why it is so crucial that Vote Save America created this guide.
Making mail in voting accessible to all Americans is not to help the Democratic or Republican party, but it is to help Americans participate in the election to the fullest extent. Vote by mail is a key aspect of an election and it is especially important in 2020 when the stakes are so high.
Amelia Morel 