“When Wisconsin voters
and officials sought to adapt the state’s spring elections to better observe social distancing guidelines,
the U.S. Supreme Court refused. One of the changes
state officials had asked for was extra time so voters could cast their ballots by mail.
“The coronavirus outbreak is set to last for months or even years. What will that mean for the elections – including the presidential
one in November – that are on the way? Calls have come from many quarters,
both Democratic and Republican, to
let all Americans vote by mail.
“The Constitution gives the states the primary responsibility for running elections.
Some states are more ready for mail-in voting than others – though congressional action could resolve the
matter nationwide.
“Five states are already there; many more are close: Colorado,
Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah already have full ‘vote-by-mail’ systems. In the weeks before an
election, election officials mail a ballot to every registered voter. Voters
can choose to vote in person if they wish, but the vast majority vote remotely
by either mailing in or dropping off their ballots.
“Three states – California, Nebraska and
North Dakota – let individual counties set up vote-by-mail systems, but have
not adopted that approach statewide. And 28 states and the District of Columbia allow
what is called ‘no-excuse absentee voting.’
“Under this rule, any registered voter can request an absentee
ballot be mailed to them ahead of Election Day. Most states allow voters to apply for them online or by mail. Voters
receive the ballots by mail, along with a self-addressed, pre-stamped return
envelope. They then fill out the ballot and mail it back, or drop it off, to
election officials, who then tally the ballots as if they had been cast in
person.
“None of these places would need to change their laws so that
every voter could cast a ballot by mail in November. But in Washington, D.C.,
and the 28 ‘no-excuse’ states where voters have to apply for absentee ballots, election officials would have to prepare to
handle a much larger number of applications – and to process the ballots
once they’re sent back.
“This would likely mean purchasing more blank ballots and
envelopes, as well as buying or relocating vote-counting equipment, and
assigning more staff to handle the paperwork involved.
Florida under Gov. DeSantis with a republican House and Senate and two Republican US senators wouldn't do it even if the National Guard was called out to enforce it. There is a reason that Trump changed his legal residence from New York to Florida.
ReplyDeleteLogic and reason have nothing to do with political decisions in Florida.