Earlier this year, the outbreak of COVID-19 completely upended daily life. It forced many to stay inside and work from home as we all did our part to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Of course, this also came in the midst of statewide primary elections all over the nation, and in turn, forced states to come up with innovative solutions to ensure all eligible citizens were able to exercise their right to vote without risking their personal well-being, or that of their families, in the process.
Now, as we face the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 in the United States, we must look ahead to what we can do on November 3 to protect voters. One approach that many states adopted during the primaries, which some are already working hard to implement in November, is educating voters about the ways that taking advantage of mail-in voting options can keep them safe, while also making those options broadly accessible. It’s a solution that could play a crucial deciding role in how well the U.S. is able to contain COVID-19.
My home state of North Carolina has demonstrated a great deal of leadership on this issue. We have worked to avoid the confusion that occurred in states, such as Wisconsin and Georgia, where delays in receiving absentee ballots forced many to vote in person. In Wisconsin, this led to dozens of newly identified cases of COVID-19 among those who voted in person and those who served as poll workers. Meanwhile, in Georgia, images of crowded lines at polling places dominated news coverage.
States must prove that they have learned from the problems that haunted those primaries, where voters were not made aware of how absentee voting can keep them safe, or didn’t even have that option at all. To preserve our democracy in the COVID-19 era, we must have the right infrastructure in place to ensure that all citizens, no matter their health, can continue to exercise their right to vote.
Doing so would especially help older voters, who face added risks from COVID-19. Data continues to indicate that older people have a higher risk of suffering serious health challenges if they contract the coronavirus, meaning that they need to take extra precautions to avoid unnecessarily leaving their homes. That’s why leading voices such as AARP have been working to educate older voters on the importance of making use of mail-in voting alternatives.
Forcing older voters and other high-risk people to choose between their health and their rights would be irresponsible on the part of lawmakers. It would force voters into a predicament that no person should have to face and, as we’ve already seen, will lead to COVID-19 needlessly spreading further. Voting is the foundation of our democracy, and we must preserve our citizens’ right to it.
I hope that states will continue to take measures to help protect vulnerable voters and work to provide an alternative to voting in person by utilizing methods like no-excuse absentee voting.
Wayne Sasser serves in North Carolina’s House of Representatives. He is also a pharmacist.
