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How voting by mail could save the US election

Madeline Marshall

May 01, 2020 |

Vox |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Washington

As one of the most consequential presidential elections in the United States approaches in the midst of a pandemic, many Americans are worried about voter turnout, and other logistical concerns. But a simple answer exists: voting by mail. With tens of millions of people in the United States already routinely voting by mail, proponents tout the additional time for research voters can take and the potential for higher voter turnout as added benefits.

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An Army of Equality Voters

Chris Rudisill

May 01, 2020 |

QNotes Carolinas |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) identified 57 million voters who identify as LGBTQ or allies and used digital and print ads, direct mail, and text and phone outreaches to turnout these “equality voters” in the 2018 mid-term elections. The campaign registered 30,000 new voters and trained 1,600 local volunteers who logged more than 20,000 hours for HRC-endorsed candidates. The campaign effectively increased turnout in the group from 36% in 2016 to 56% in 2018. While there are many more LGBTQ and ally voters not included, the group worked with Catalist to identify voters who are motivated by LGBTQ equality.

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Colorado's Vote-by-Mail System Could Save the 2020 Election. Why Aren't More States Using It?

Peter Wade

April 30, 2020 |

Rolling Stone |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Colorado achieved the second-highest voter turnout rate in 2018 in part by allowing universal mail-in voting. Three out of every four Colorado residents polled support mail-in voting, making it hugely popular as well. Many people are now looking to successful mail-in states like Colorado to pave the way for universal mail-in voting in the upcoming presidential election.

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How a Group of Political Novices Ended Gerrymandering in Michigan

Tom Perkins

April 24, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Michigan

Voters Not Politicians (VPN) is a grassroots initiative that, with the help over 4,000 volunteers who knocked on 125,000 doors and canvassed at public events, collected the 400,000 signatures needed to get an anti-gerrymandering initiative on the statewide ballot. The initiative passed with 61% of the vote in 2018 and requires district boundaries be drawn by average citizens. The group’s founder also started The People, another group to help residents in other states apply VPNs model to stop gerrymandering. So far, residents in Florida, Virginia, and New Hampshire are at various stages of applying the model.

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"I voted in South Korea's elections. This is what democracy can look like in a pandemic."

Catherine Kim

April 17, 2020 |

Vox |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: South Korea

South Korea held a national election during the Covid-19 pandemic by taking extensive sanitation and health screening measures. In addition to mandatory face protection and social distancing, voters’ temperatures were taken, hands covered in sanitizer, and given new gloves for their sanitized hands. Those with a fever voted in a secluded area and those with mild Covid-19 symptoms could vote by hospitals. Those in quarantine had one hour to vote after everyone else and needed to report to officials when home. It’s impossible to erase all risks, but many voters report the steps taken increased their security.

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South Korea's Coronavirus Test Run: How to Hold an Election

Timothy W. Martin Andrew Jeong

April 15, 2020 |

Wall Street Journal |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: South Korea

Extra sanitation and health screening precautions allowed South Korea to hold a national election during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mandatory face protection, rubber gloves, taking voters’ temperatures, and providing hand sanitizer and new gloves were some of the requirements at polling stations. Candidates also continued to campaign but took precautions such as face masks, gloves, and microphone covers. While the strictest social distancing was not followed, voters express feeling comfortable and officials say South Korea could provide a model to other countries on how to hold an election during the pandemic.

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Coronavirus is generating a surge of interest in voting by mail in the 2020 presidential election. It's not a panacea

Anthony Man

March 29, 2020 |

Tampa Bay Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased interest in and use of alternative voting methods in Florida. Among Democrats in the 2020 primary, where most of the primary action took place, voting by mail was up 33% from 2016 and early voting at regional sites was up 20%, while in-person voting on primary day was down about 25%. Offering voting alternatives is not a panacea, there are some drawbacks including a greater percentage of rejected ballots among certain demographic groups, however it can help ease concerns among voters about voting in person during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Voting by Mail Would Reduce Coronavirus Transmission but It Has Other Risks

Jessica Huseman

March 24, 2020 |

ProPublica |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

As the COVID19 pandemic continues, officials are looking ahead to the United States’ presidential election in November and considering mail-in ballots. While it is a limited-contact way of voting, it presents massive challenges in terms of scaling. Things like infrastructure, cost, and voter privacy and fraud have to be considered, which is why states are turning to those who have had some success already, like Minnesota and Montana, to learn from.

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Maryland can save its election by letting people vote at home

Eric Cortellessa

March 20, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Utah

Utah is an example of how states can smoothly transition to universal vote-by-mail elections during the Covid-19 pandemic. Utah moved in stages by first allowing all registered voters to vote-by-mail for any reason, followed by inviting counties to opt in to universal voting by mail once they were ready. Administrators found it easier and cheaper, voters found it more convenient, and turnout increased 5 percentage points in counties that had switched. Details like whether to include return postage on ballots have to be worked out, but four states have transitioned to universal absentee voting with success.

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Elections amid coronavirus: How officials aim to keep voters safe

Alfred Ng

March 17, 2020 |

CNET |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Many are looking to in-person voting alternatives already used on smaller scales to address the challenges of holding an election during the Covid-19 pandemic. Online or mobile app voting is allowed on a limited basis in several states. Voatz is a mobile voting app that has been used in 50 elections since 2016, with more than 80,000 votes cast. The company uses blockchain to encrypt the data and has offered to discuss the free use of its software for the 2020 presidential election. Experts caution the possibility of cyber-attacks as well as the difficulty of widely implementing new technologies so quickly.

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