2020 US Election By Matthew Bouma-Hannam
Although everyone is fairly tired of hearing "coronavirus" and "COVID-19," it is having a significantly negative impact on our world. But, it is important to understand how this pandemic is affecting the upcoming presidential election in the United States. The problem is in-person voting. Due to the current strict six-foot social distancing rule, in-person voting has become impossible. Voting by mail is a solution to this, however. According to Jocelyn Benson, the Secretary of State of Michigan, a voting system through the mail could be implemented by voting season (Seitz-Wald, "Coronavirus 'worst-case scenario': Could the presidential vote be done by mail?").
The uncertainty of the pandemic situation is causing lawmakers to be unsure about how to go about the elections. The virus could die by the summer, or it could still be a danger in November. There is also the threat of the virus mutating and coming back as another strand in late 2020. (Seitz-Wald, "Coronavirus 'worst-case scenario': Could the presidential vote be done by mail?").
Primaries are also another issue. In order to win a Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden must get 1,991 delegates. But, with 15 democratic primaries being postponed until the virus simmers down, a majority might not be won by a candidate, posing a possible threat to the election (Greve, "Coronavirus upends US election cycle as officials scramble to protect voters"). Safer methods need to be used in order to ensure that there is an opponent for the incumbent Donald J. Trump. However, due to Joe Biden's lead over Senator Sanders, the delayed primaries might not be an issue (Greve, "Coronavirus upends US election cycle as officials scramble to protect voters"). Joe Biden holds a comfortable lead over Sanders, up by 303 delegates at the end of March.
Additionally, some foresee trouble for Biden's campaign. Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg says that the valuable in-person campaigning for this election might be out of reach for the former Vice President, due to the virus. He says "'Biden is doing what he has to do, but there's a limit to what he can do right now,'" (Abdalla, "Coronavirus turns US 2020 election into a virtual one").
In my opinion, there needs to be significant leadership from the federal government to solve this issue. Among other important things pertaining to the virus, Congress needs to put a safety plan into action in the near future to deal with this problem of many people possibly not being able to vote in the presidential election. From what I have heard, letters can also be problematic. Licking envelopes can be an easier way to spread COVID-19. But, in order to avoid this, I would like to see Washington set specific directions on how Americans should vote for their next resident safely, to preserve democracy.
Additionally, concerning the optics of the outcome of the election, President Trump has benefitted from the appearance of the coronavirus. The polls have shown a favorable surge in favor of Trump (Cillizza "How long will Trump's poll surge last?"), making things look even worse for the Democratic Party. Donald Trump's positive response, which indicates the federal government's readiness to act, is going to be much needed at this time. We need new voting system, and hopefully, Trump can lead the way.
Sources
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/29/politics/us-election-2020-week-ahead/index.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus-turns-2020-election-virtual-200331151539121.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51939611
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/coronavirus-worst-case-scenario-could-presidential-vote-be-done-mail-n1168151
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/30/us-election-coronavirus-primaries-voting-by-mail
The uncertainty of the pandemic situation is causing lawmakers to be unsure about how to go about the elections. The virus could die by the summer, or it could still be a danger in November. There is also the threat of the virus mutating and coming back as another strand in late 2020. (Seitz-Wald, "Coronavirus 'worst-case scenario': Could the presidential vote be done by mail?").
Primaries are also another issue. In order to win a Democratic nomination, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden must get 1,991 delegates. But, with 15 democratic primaries being postponed until the virus simmers down, a majority might not be won by a candidate, posing a possible threat to the election (Greve, "Coronavirus upends US election cycle as officials scramble to protect voters"). Safer methods need to be used in order to ensure that there is an opponent for the incumbent Donald J. Trump. However, due to Joe Biden's lead over Senator Sanders, the delayed primaries might not be an issue (Greve, "Coronavirus upends US election cycle as officials scramble to protect voters"). Joe Biden holds a comfortable lead over Sanders, up by 303 delegates at the end of March.
Additionally, some foresee trouble for Biden's campaign. Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg says that the valuable in-person campaigning for this election might be out of reach for the former Vice President, due to the virus. He says "'Biden is doing what he has to do, but there's a limit to what he can do right now,'" (Abdalla, "Coronavirus turns US 2020 election into a virtual one").
In my opinion, there needs to be significant leadership from the federal government to solve this issue. Among other important things pertaining to the virus, Congress needs to put a safety plan into action in the near future to deal with this problem of many people possibly not being able to vote in the presidential election. From what I have heard, letters can also be problematic. Licking envelopes can be an easier way to spread COVID-19. But, in order to avoid this, I would like to see Washington set specific directions on how Americans should vote for their next resident safely, to preserve democracy.
Additionally, concerning the optics of the outcome of the election, President Trump has benefitted from the appearance of the coronavirus. The polls have shown a favorable surge in favor of Trump (Cillizza "How long will Trump's poll surge last?"), making things look even worse for the Democratic Party. Donald Trump's positive response, which indicates the federal government's readiness to act, is going to be much needed at this time. We need new voting system, and hopefully, Trump can lead the way.
Sources
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/29/politics/us-election-2020-week-ahead/index.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus-turns-2020-election-virtual-200331151539121.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51939611
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/coronavirus-worst-case-scenario-could-presidential-vote-be-done-mail-n1168151
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/30/us-election-coronavirus-primaries-voting-by-mail
This is a very well thought out piece. As this virus is unprecedented, no one knows for certain how major events like the election will play out. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what the federal government decides is the best.
ReplyDeleteI think that we will see this affect the election in many ways.
ReplyDelete