Wyoming, which was slated to hold its Primary on April 4th, but officials there simply Ended the In-Person Portion of the State's Presidential Primary, opened several New Collection Centers, and shifted the Entire Event to Vote-by-Mail. There was No Drama, No Health Risk, and No Worries that the Primary won't go off as Planned. The Democratic Election takes Place April 17th, and the Republican Election takes place May 9th.
As many States postpone Primaries until June, Election Officials scramble Nationwide and Americans worry about the Coronavirus's Potential Effect on the Presidential Election, it's worth looking at the States where the Pandemic has Not Required a Wholesale Re-Imagining of the Entire Process.
These States all have something in common: They had the Foresight to Transition this year to Early Voting combined with a Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) Ballot. As a result, Elections in those States have been able to stay largely On Track.
Democrats in Three of those States: Alaska, Hawaii, and Wyoming, had been Scheduled to hold their Primaries this Saturday, April 11th. Early Voting, Mail-in-Ballots, and RCV made them Pandemic-Proof. They could Cancel In-Person Voting without Throwing everything into Tumult.
In Alaska and Hawaii, long before the Virus Struck, Democratic Party Officials recast the State's Primaries as Vote-by-Mail Contests with RCV. Those Contests proved Resilient: Officials merely Extended the Date by which Ballots needed to be Requested and/or Returned. It will take a little Longer to get Results. They didn't need to Order Vats of Sanitizer or more than a Million Pens, or Cross their Fingers and hope In-Person Voting would be Safe by June.
It's a similar story in Kansas, where Democrats this year not only Implemented Early Voting with RCV, but Officials also Proactively Mailed a Ballot to Every Registered Democrat.
None of these states foresaw a Pandemic, they simply wanted to create Elections that gave Voters more Choices and a Greater Voice. But their careful Planning also established something Resilient enough to withstand a Once-in-a-Century Public Health Emergency.
In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) moved to Postpone the State's March Primary, only to be Stopped by the Courts. Ultimately, DeWine and State Public Health Officials acted to Push the Contests to June for Health and Safety. All it took in Alaska, Hawaii, and Wyoming, was to Extend a simple Deadline.
Nonpartisan Solutions embraced by All States give more Power for Voters and more Resilient Elections for Us All. There's a Better way to Vote, and during a Moment when our Elections have been Upended by a Virus few could have seen coming, we should Learn from those who got it Right ahead of 2020. Their Reform Path is the One every State should follow.
There are Problems that must be Solved, Security and Tracking of the Mail-in-Ballot. Many States and the U.S. Postal System have their own Solutions, but it would help if a Country Solution was Developed.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
No comments:
Post a Comment