On August 20th, the Wisconsin Elections Commission announced that they would Send Letters to 2.6 Million Voters who have Not yet Signed-Up to receive an Absentee Ballot for the November Election, reminding them about their Voting Options and urging them to Apply for a Mailed-in-Ballot Online or use an Enclosed Form.
What the Announcement did Not say was that 500,000 of the Voters getting the Mailing had Applied, Received, and Voted with an Absentee Ballot in April 2020’s Presidential Primary. But unlike 800,000 other Voters who Checked a Box on an Application to receive an Absentee Ballot for the Rest of 2020’s Elections, these 500,000 Voters had Only applied for a Mailed-in-Ballot in the Primary.
“If a registered voter requested an absentee ballot for April but not for the rest of the year, he or she will receive a letter from the Wisconsin Elections Commission in early September explaining the options for voting this fall,” Reid Magney, WEC Public Information Officer, said in an Email. “For April, there were 1.3 million absentee ballots requested. For November, we have about 800,000 requests. So approximately half a million… [voters] only requested a ballot for April.” The WEC’s effort to Contact Millions of Voters who never or rarely Voted-by-Mail before COVID-19 raises a big Question for Absentee Voters in Battleground States.
Are Individuals who Voted by Mail earlier this year Unaware that they may be Required to Reapply for an Absentee Ballot in the Presidential Election?
“It’s an example of little things that can matter a lot,” said Phil Keisling, Oregon’s Former Secretary of State and Board Chair of the National Vote at Home Institute, referring to how Voters filled out Unfamiliar Application Forms months ago.
East of the Rockies, most States require Voters to Reapply for each Election. But that is not the case in some Presidential Swing States where Voters can Choose to Receive an Absentee Ballot for the Next Election or for the Rest of the year. That Choice can hinge on Checking a Box or Signing a Section on the State’s Application, which many Voters did in haste this Spring as the Pandemic Postponed Presidential Primaries.
In August, Michigan also Sent a Letter to Millions of Voters who have Not yet Applied to Receive an Absentee Ballot for the Fall, or Only Applied for an Absentee Ballot for an Election earlier this year. Its Mailing, too, Reiterated the Options to Vote this Fall, encouraged Recipients to Vote Absentee and told them how to Apply. Both Michigan and Wisconsin have New Online Portals and Downloadable Forms.
Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson (D), Mailed Absentee Ballot Applications to 7.7 Million Voters this May. More than 1.6 Million Voters used the Ballots in Michigan’s August’s Primary, setting a State Record, the Detroit Free Press noted. But Millions of Michigan Voters have yet to Apply for a Fall Absentee Ballot. “Benson’s office will mail the postcards to the 4.4 million active registered voters who have not already applied for an absentee ballot and are not already signed up to automatically receive an absentee ballot for every election,” the Paper said, noting that some of this year’s Earlier Absentee Voters are Not set up to do so for the Fall.
Before the Pandemic, most States East of the Rockies saw less than 10% of their Voters cast Mailed-in-Ballots. Previously, these States envisioned Mailing Ballots to Registered Voters if: they were in the Military; Overseas; Disabled; Ill; Elderly; Traveling for Work; or on Vacation. Their Laws and Rules were based on the Expectation that relatively Small Numbers of Voters would Apply for an Absentee Ballot when they needed it. Some States created Permanent Lists for Elderly and Disabled Voters. One Exception was Florida, which Allows Voters to Apply for an Absentee Ballot for every Election in a Two-year Period.
The Pandemic led many States to Suspend or Update these Rules. This Fall, the District of Columbia and Nine States will Directly Send Registered Voters an Absentee Ballot, Skipping the Application Process altogether. The Nine States are: California; Colorado; Hawaii; Nevada; New Jersey; Oregon; Utah; Vermont; and Washington. That Development has been Sharply Attacked by President Trump.
But most States still Require Voters to Apply to Vote Absentee. In Two-Thirds of the States, Voters can do so Without citing an Excuse. Six States additionally Require Voters to Declare an Excuse, while some have added COVID-19 as an Excuse. Some Battleground States will Send their Voters an Application for the Fall, while others, such as Ohio and Georgia, will Not.
“I would encourage people to just renew their ballot application,” said Michael McDonald, a University of Florida Professor who Specializes in Voter Turnout and is writing a Book about Absentee Voting in 2020, when asked what General Advice he would Suggest when Surveying the evolving Fall landscape.
The Best State and Local Government Portals allow Voters to Check and Update their Registration Information, to see if they Signed-Up for an Absentee Ballot and Track it through: Requesting; Mailing; and Counting their Vote.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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