Less than a week away from one of the most crucial elections in U.S. history, voters can no longer rely on the postal service to deliver their mail-in ballots on time.
At this point, if California voters have not sent their ballot in the mail, they should not. Instead, voters should explore the multiple routes of action they could still take to exercise their right to vote in-person.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order in May stating that all California residents who had registered to vote by Oct. 19 would automatically receive a mail-in ballot.
This seemingly simple method of voting is now a gamble given that the election is right around the corner, ballot drop-off boxes are confusing voters and the U.S. Postal Service is facing a snail-mail crisis.
According to an Aug. 14 USA Today article, the U.S. Postal Service made changes to limit overtime for employees and is facing a drastic loss of funding, which could result in mail being delayed. The postal service also advised voters to send their ballots at least a week prior to the Nov. 3 election to be counted on time.
On Oct. 12, Alex Padilla, the California Secretary of State, issued a cease-and-desist letter to Republican Party leaders in California to stop the placement of fake ballot drop boxes in multiple communities.
There is now too much uncertainty associated with some ballot drop-off boxes and the postal service to risk a vote in this election.
The 2020 election will dramatically impact the democratic institutions of the U.S. forever. Even more pertinent than that, the election could quite possibly influence international politics.
According to a Sept. 25 ForeignPolicy.com article, multiple historians, political scientists and diplomats have said that this election could possibly be one of the most important elections in United States history because the U.S. occupies such a central place in stabilizing the global system.
The leaders selected in this election will make decisions concerning the current civil rights movement, the COVID-19 pandemic and the response to climate change.
With that being said, eligible voters must perform their civic duty to vote in the election. In California, this no longer includes voting by mail.
If voters have a completed mail-in ballot, they should take it to an official polling place to be counted. If not, they need to make arrangements to physically vote in person at a polling place.
Padilla has developed a nearly 50-page guide for polling places to ensure voter safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The guide includes directives for county officials to implement COVID-19 safety precautions like training workers to help prevent the spread of the illness, spacing each voter six feet apart from each other and disinfecting surfaces in the polling place frequently.
Despite poll workers’ efforts to uphold COVID-19 preventative measures, voting in person is still a gamble. However, it is a necessary gamble.
Poll workers are meant to help facilitate the voting process, not suppress voters, which is why anyone who arrives at a polling place without a face covering will not be turned away.
The guide asserts that the right to vote takes precedence over health measures and advises election workers to avoid confrontation because intense conversation and shouting increase the volume of exhalations and may increase risk of exposure to COVID-19.
It is suggested that workers utilize additional social distancing measures if a voter does not have a face mask.
According to an Oct. 2 New York Times article, several stadiums and large venues in California have been converted into polling places to allow for social distancing. In Santa Clara County, Levi’s Stadium will be used as a polling place.
The importance of this election highlights the necessity for citizens to vote by any means. Voting by mail is no longer a viable option.
Voters should drop off their ballot at an official polling place or make arrangements to vote in person at a site in their county where they would feel most comfortable. The country’s future is on the line and remaining idle during such a crucial election is not an option.
