New Interview: I talked to Vanita Gupta, the head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, about how to ensure a fair election, what the Trump administration is doing with the census, and the legal challenges we may see after November 3rd. https://t.co/1q3SHZHGSj
— Isaac Chotiner (@IChotiner) August 9, 2020
Yes, I always say this, but seriously: READ THE WHOLE THING. (And share it.)
Chotiner is a widely acknowledged master of the meaty interview, and Gupta spells out the vital issues in simple terms:
With the coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of abating before November 3rd, Democrats and civil-rights groups are increasingly concerned that a slew of new mail-in voters will overwhelm states, leading to delayed counts and large numbers of rejected ballots. They are particularly concerned about the role of the U.S. Postal Service. In May, the Republican-majority Postal Service Board of Governors appointed a new Postmaster General, a Trump campaign donor named Louis DeJoy, who made operational changes that appear to have led to slowed delivery. Meanwhile, the President has repeatedly attacked the reliability of mail-in ballots, falsely claiming that they facilitate voter fraud.
To talk about these issues, I recently spoke by phone with Vanita Gupta, the president and C.E.O. of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, an advocacy group founded in 1950. Gupta previously served as the head of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, under President Obama…
What are the crucial things that states should be doing to prepare for holding an election amid a pandemic?
Several things. One is they need to create or implement vote-by-mail systems in their state that have prepaid postage and secure collection or drop-off. States that don’t already have this have to provide a reasonable window to accept ballots postmarked on Election Day that may arrive after. And this is especially important in light of the cuts to the United States Postal Service made by the Trump donor who’s running the agency.
States also need to expand early voting in order to have socially distanced, public-health-compliant polling places. They need to extend online voter registration, since so many of the government agencies that people typically register at are shuttered. And they need to be recruiting and training younger workers who are less vulnerable to COVID-19, and doing that on a pretty massive scale.
These are all the rule changes that need to happen at the state level, but then there’s this very significant voter-education effort that states need to be engaging in, too. It’s both affirmative and defensive. Affirmative because, in 2016, one in four voters voted by mail. There is going to be a pretty significant surge in those that are going to do this for the first time. And clarifying how voters can do this, what the deadlines are and all of that, is going to require a lot of voter education. But then they also have to be willing to fight disinformation. There’s going to be attacks on secretaries of state and local and state officials on November 3rd when they are unable to certify results because they need to count all of the absentee or mail-in ballots.
We obviously need to have mail-in voting so that people don’t put their health on the line to go to a polling place, but do you have concerns that a ton of mail-in voting is going to create problems?
There are more states than not that have experience with mail-in ballots. The primaries were really a test run for states, and the problems that we saw in Wisconsin, Georgia, and Pennsylvania can all be corrected, and secretaries of state have been taking steps. Many of them, not all, are trying to fix these problems and to be ready to make changes so that what we saw in the primary won’t happen in the general. And there are a lot of groups that are providing technical assistance. This is why the Leadership Conference has been urging Congress to supply the funds that are needed for states to make these changes and make them swiftly…
What have you made of the Trump Administration’s attacks on the Post Office? Is there something that people in Congress or elsewhere should be thinking of doing if the Administration tries to seriously mess with the Post Office?
Yeah. I’m deeply alarmed by this. I think there is no question that the Trump Administration is attacking core democratic institutions and they are threatening the infrastructure that is required to hold a safe, secure, accessible, and fair election in November. So you have this attack on the United States Postal Service, in which the President puts in a donor to run the agency, who makes cuts, and the result is delays in the mail. You look at the President’s tweet, from Monday, where Nevada passed a slew of measures seeking to expand [mail-in] voting. He knows that the Postal Service is a crucial part of our democratic infrastructure, especially in this election amid a pandemic.
So the things that need to happen are that Congress needs to provide adequate funding to push back on any notion of the need to make these cuts. In the absence of that, there is no reason why states should not be changing the rules, if they haven’t already, to accept ballots that have been postmarked on Election Day. You can provide a reasonable window of fifteen days, twenty days after the election, because there could be these delays to the U.S. Postal Service. So many of these states still have not done that, and that is a really important fix…
If a person can wear a mask and is able to vote safely in person, given all the things we’ve talked about, would you suggest that they do that?
My suggestion is that, for voters who can, they should apply as soon as possible for a mail-in ballot or an absentee ballot, fill it out carefully, and then send it back or drop it off as early as possible so as to relieve pressure on polling places on the day of, when people for whom it is essential—like Native American voters who may not have U.S. postal addresses, or voters with disabilities who need assistance, or voters of color who, because of cultural reasons and historical reasons, may not trust the Postal Service—can vote. Keep in-person voting for those who consider it essential for whatever reason. If others engage in this process as early as possible, it will also, frankly, help secretaries of state to be able to count their votes earlier. There will be less of a surge, and it’ll reduce the delay in actually being able to announce the results after November 3rd…
I, for one, plan to send in my ballot as soon as it arrives (Massachusetts is sending mail-in ballots to every voter who requests one, this year). It’s not as though I’m going to change my mind about voting for Joe Biden!
Essentials.https://t.co/4oAyNxDOYF pic.twitter.com/yMsZngSnOy
— Tom Toles (@TomTolesToons) August 9, 2020
laura
We got our postcards from the Sacramento County registrar of voters confirming our permanent vote by mail status but reminding us to update if we have a change of address – as happens every single election for the last 20 or so years. It ain’t rocket science, it is very reassuring and we’ll be casting ballots the same or the day after we receive them by rolling up the street to our nearest drop off center. Yes I’m still bitter about the loss of curbside taco trucks.
Yutsano
These things depress me. I know the information is important but stop treating the Republicans like they’re supervillains. They can be beaten and we will beat them this fall. We just need to get more of the Biden voters out everywhere. And then start the long slog of repair and retribution. No looking back. Some gotta pay here.
opiejeanne
We intend to vote just as soon as our ballots arrive, and we will use a drop box to return them, to take pressure off of the mail service. We always do this, since the standard here is everyone votes by mail.
This is the information for Washington state, including when the ballots are mailed:
October 16 Start of 18-day voting period (through Election Day). Ballots are mailed out and Accessible Voting Units (AVUs) are available at voting centers.
October 26 Online and mail registrations must be received 8 days before Election Day. Register to vote in person during business hours and any time before 8:00 p.m. on Election Day.
November 3 Deadline for Washington State voter registration or updates (in person only).
November 3 General Election – Deposit your ballot in an official drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
opiejeanne
@opiejeanne: What I’m wondering is how long those ballots mailed on October 16 will take to get to us. I wonder how involved our state will be able to be, to get those ballots to everyone on time.
There are only two of the above-mentioned voting centers in King County, the most populous county in Washington state, and they are not intended for use by every voter.
piratedan
@Yutsano: well, to be fair, there are a fair number of supervillians in their ranks… I would easily consider Barr to be one, The guy pulling the strings on the judicial strategy is another (I believe that’s Mr. Leo of one of those shadowy psuedo/religious think tanks). Rupert Murdoch is certainly one for the way that he parses the truth and spreads disinformation. Not to say that there aren’t needs specific minions out there… like McConnell who’s great at blocking things but not much else, but he’s a specific tool crafted for a specific need, so someone did a really good job of manipulating him into his position.
Agree that they can be beaten, and with their own catastrophic policies, they’re helping us (the good guys) indirectly, but at such a cost…. I am loathe to underestimate them, I understand wanting to ensure that we understand that these people are flesh and blood, but I also want to recognize that they have a well honed methodology and resources that allow them distinct advantages.
Kirk Spencer
And then there is Texas. Mail in ballots only if you are 65+, or out of county on election day AND early voting days, in jail but otherwise eligible, or disabled. Hospitalization counts but the application has to be received before the start of early voting.
Catherine D.
As far as I know, NYS hasn’t expanded absentee voting for November yet.
Anonymous At Work
Question: What options would a Democratic Congress and President Biden have for flawed Census results? Could they literally order a re-do?
RaflW
I’m sorry this s got big footed, AL. Cause this is the shizz right here. We should be attacking Republicans all-out right now on the USPS. My take is, we nail them for how this is screwing seniors who rely on mailed prescriptions, businesses facing slow inventory and unhappy customers over mail delays, etc.
Attack them on the economic cost of DeJoys bullshit, and the harm to rural folks and seniors, two key GOP blocks.
artem1s
One of the items that doesn’t seem to be addressed in these discussions about voting by mail is expanding early voting. I probably won’t bother with a mail in ballot. My state has strong early voting laws and for the last few years, I was able to physically go to the polls in a place and at a time that was convenient for me and for the most part, there were no lines. When Ohio delayed the primaries and shifted to mail in ballots back in March, I had already voted – in person. If you are having issues with friends and family who are suspicious of mail in ballots, you can help them find a way to vote early too. A lot of people don’t know about early voting because they live in districts that generally don’t have long lines on polling days. Anyone in the county can vote at the main BOE office in downtown Cleveland. For people who work in Cleveland but live in the suburbs, it never occurs to them that they can drop by the BOE on the way home from work (or at lunch) and just get it out of the way at their convenience. Our BOE was practicing safe distancing and sanitizing before Governor DeWimp announce the state shut down. I’m betting they will do a strong ad push for early voting as well as mail in come October when the polls open.
Mart
Wife and I mailed in our MO primary ballets a few weeks back. Call Saturday ahead of Tuesday election told us wife’s ballot rejected as she missed checking off address confirmation. (Checked mine with Ballot Check ID and it was counted.) They told her where she can vote in person, but as high risk she did not vote. Just saying, Watch the Fine Print!
Betty
Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled legislature will do none of the proposed fixes. That could really help Trump there.