As more states move to expand mail-in voting ahead of the November election, President Trump hasn’t held back from expressing his disapproval of the proposced new measures. In alignment with the President, Republicans are also investing in efforts to make voting more inaccessible, citing voter fraud as a major concern. Joe Biden leads the President by a wide margin in many of the recent polls conducted on the 2020 presidential election.
Voting
President Trump attacked mail in voting, which 45 states currently allow, as fraudulent and potentially hurtful to his reelection efforts. Despite his baseless claims, state leaders are working to ensure the citizens can safety cast their ballots without risking their health.
The State Democratic Secretary of Michigan announced last week that all registered voters would receive an application in the mail to request an absentee ballot ahead of the general election. Following suit, a federal judge ruled that Texans have the right to request an absentee ballot if they fear compromising their health at the polls.
The Republican National Committee has pledged $20 million to fight democratic lawsuits that are seeking to ease voting restrictions. The New York Times reported that Republicans are also seeking to recruit 50,000 people in key battleground states to serve as “poll watchers” and deter voters who they believe are ineligible to vote.
Several studies have shown that neither Republicans nor Democrats have an unfair advantage with mail voting in place and despite the President’s claims, cases of voter fraud are exceedingly rare.
The Candidates
Joe Biden remains in the lead in national polls, and as of recently,and also leads in key swing states: Arizona, Florida, Virginia and Michigan. Despite sexual assault allegations from a woman named Tara Reade, many voters are essentially considering that President Trump has many sexual assault allegations, which didn’t deter his path to presidency.
Given that this is a re-election race, voters are mainly deciding if they want four more years of the Trump administration. For many, the Reade allegation does not seem like enough to sway voters in Trump’s favor.
A recent poll shows that out of the 55% of Americans who believe the accusation against Biden, 1 in 3 people would still vote for him in November. Experts believe that to beat an incumbent, only 5% of the work is convincing people you are capable, the rest is convincing them why your opponent should be voted out.
Presidential Convention
Social distancing measures aren’t likely to disappear any time soon, and for the first time in history, the Democratic National Convention may be virtual. Democrats are making plans for an online convention scheduled for this August to ensure delegates won’t be risking their health while performing their role.
The Democratic National Committee has already approved a social distancing friendly plan for the gathering that will inevitably confirm Biden as the party’s nominee. In response to progressive delegates dissatisfied with Biden as the party’s nominee, Sen. Sander’s campaign released a report outlining rules of conduct. The report barred delegates from attacking other candidates or party leaders at the convention and prior to it on social media.
Resistance Resources
- When We All Vote– a nonpartisan organization committed to voter registration.
- Brennan Center for Justice– an advocacy group that supports expanded mail voting as one way to insulate elections from the effects of the pandemic.
- ACLU– a nonprofit organization fighting voter suppression and promoting access to the ballot.