Postal voting could be vital for US election

Outlook

Responding to COVID-19, federal, state and local governments have introduced a patchwork of social and economic lockdown measures. Social distancing rules are now being relaxed in some states but extended in others; there are fears of subsequent COVID-19 waves.

Fears are rising of health risks to voters and poll workers in the November election, leading to calls for nationwide postal voting so the election can proceed on schedule while minimising human contact risks.

Legislation has been introduced to Congress, but Republicans will only agree to limited postal voting. States’ cooperation is also needed, but time is short and states have uneven capacity to administer postal voting, while some expressly only use it for local and special elections.

Impacts

• Introducing postal voting could increase participation, but also the risk of vote manipulation.
• Congress will appropriate more money for postal voting, but Democrats will not get the full multi-billion-dollar funding they seek.
• Postal voting will be harder to administer in cases of no fixed address.
• Any discrepancies in election results may trigger lawsuits, which could delay confirming results.