Staying vigilant for the 2020 vote
The sun shines through recent fall foliage in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
All U.S. citizens must remain vigilant when it comes to factors impacting the voting process in 2020, and recent media reports show the importance of that. Understandably, all eyes are on the issue of ballot delivery, as voting by mail has become essential during the pandemic.
One of those reports came out of New Hampshire, where some local election officials say "absentee ballots and other mail that previously stayed local is now being sent through regional processing centers in Manchester, N.H., or White River Junction, Vt. — resulting in an extra day or more of travel time," according to New Hampshire Public Radio on Wednesday.
NHPR said that shift was due to an apparent U.S. Postal Service policy change which has impacted some of that state's communities and not others. In any event, naturally this sparked great concern, and Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan is looking into it, NHPR reported.
In response, Stephen Doherty, a regional spokesman for the USPS, told NHPR the Postal Service’s “number one priority between now and Election Day is the secure, on-time delivery of the nation’s Election Mail.”
That delivery is the subject of a major court case in Wisconsin, according to a PBS NewsHour report. On Thursday, a federal appeals court rejected an effort to allow six additional days for absentee ballots to be counted. The ruling means the ballots would have to be delivered when the polls close on Nov. 3, Election Day. However, the Wisconsin case for the six-day extension is likely to end up at the U.S. Supreme Court, which could set precedent for similar efforts in the future.
In Vermont, there haven't been any significant challenges to the state's vote-by-mail plans, except for a federal lawsuit, which a judge rejected last month on the grounds that plaintiffs didn’t have standing to file it, according to Vermont Public Radio.
Throughout the summer and fall, Vermont officials have remained confident in the vote-by-mail system. In a recent commentary, Secretary of State Jim Condos pointed out that in the August primary, the majority of votes in the Green Mountains were cast by mail.
"Voting by mail, early in-person, and in low numbers at the polls on Election Day, was conducted safely and securely," Condos said. (Check out Vermont voting information and deadlines here.)
Indeed, in primary elections here and throughout the country, workers did a tremendous job under challenging circumstances. Obviously, November brings a greater challenge still. A large number of votes by mail are coming in, likely in record numbers. As that process proceeds, we must all remain watchful regarding factors which may impact the election and the honorable work being done by local and state workers to protect the vote. Hopefully, working together, we can help this critical function of democracy continue smoothly.
— Gareth Henderson
