We all need to do more to ensure that, when it comes to our elections, everyone participates and everyone's voice is heard. Only then can we create a democracy that’s more fully of, by and for the people.
I joined WashPIRG's student chapter's discussion on voting in a pandemic with Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman. With more states working to implement vote-by-mail and other safety precautions, I ask: What can we do to help?
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is an emergency for our democracy. If we don’t take decisive action now, we could end up with Wisconsin-like nightmares across the country come November -- with voters forced to make a lose-lose decision between their health and participating in democracy. To avoid that worst-case scenario, our number one priority right now should be expanding access to the most workable solution to this crisis: vote by mail.
U.S. PIRG is calling on every state to establish an emergency universal absentee voting system to eliminate the need to physically go to the polls at a time where doing so could put voters’ health at risk. This would allow all registered voters to be mailed an absentee ballot if physically visiting the polls were unsafe.
