Can Vote-by-Mail Help Stop the Spread of the Coronavirus?
2020-04-08
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Millions of Americans are staying home to prevent spreading the coronavirus.
2As a result, they have turned to technology to do business and to talk to family and friends.
3However, some groups are suggesting that voting in this year's presidential election might depend on mailing ballots.
4They say the answer to staying safe may be in the hands of the United States Postal Service.
5Most Americans, age18 or older are used to voting at their local polling place.
6This year's general election in November could possibly be different - going out to vote in large numbers might be considered too risky.
7Already, 14 states have postponed their primary election voting because of the virus.
8The state of Wisconsin is holding its primary on Tuesday as planned.
9The postponements have caused a big problem for the presidential nominating system.
10For this reason, election officials across the United States are considering mail ballots.
11Vote-by-mail offers a way to protect the health of voters while permitting them to exercise their rights as citizens.
12"We're talking about an emergency situation, but there is bipartisan support...for vote-by-mail election reform," said Amber McReynolds.
13She is chief executive officer of the National Vote at Home Institute.
14It is a not-for-profit group that supports mail-in ballots.
15Absentee ballots that are mailed to voting centers already exist, but voting by mail would be a change for many Americans.
16Those against the change, and even some supporters, wonder if there is enough time to put a secure system in place by November.
17Creating a new vote-by-mail system would be a big logistical problem, researchers Collier Fernekes and Rachel Orey wrote in a report for the Bipartisan Policy Center.
18The recent $2.4 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump includes $400 million to help elections officials deal with coronavirus issues.
19But those who support vote-by-mail are asking for more.
20Democratic Party members in the U.S. House and Senate have written bills to give all Americans the ability to vote by mail.
21The United States will vote on November 3 to choose the president and members of Congress.
22However, election systems are run by state and local governments.
23Each has its own rules and laws about voting.
24Of the 50 U.S. states, five hold all their elections mostly by mail: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
25There are large numbers of mail-in ballots in the other states.
26These "absentee" ballots are for voters in the military, those traveling at election time or those who cannot go their polling place for physical reasons.
27Western and Midwestern states, and the District of Columbia, now permit anyone to use an absentee ballot for any reason.
28They include California, the state with the most voters.
29In the 2018 Congressional elections, more than 8 million Californians sent absentee ballots by mail, more than 65 percent.
30Reuters news agency says Wyoming and Alaska have said they will use mail ballots this year.
31It is estimated that nearly 25 percent of ballots were vote-by-mail in the 2016 presidential election.
32There are, however, problems.
33They include how to get Americans used to a whole new system and how to provide security.
34Elizabeth Howard advises the Democracy Project of the Brennan Center for Justice on legal issues.
35She has had some experience with trying to change an election system quickly.
36In August 2017, she was an official with Virginia's Department of Elections when security problems caused her to change the whole system.
37Although she was successful, she said changing the nation to vote-by-mail by November would be difficult and costly.
38I'm Jill Robbins.
1Millions of Americans are staying home to prevent spreading the coronavirus. As a result, they have turned to technology to do business and to talk to family and friends. 2However, some groups are suggesting that voting in this year's presidential election might depend on mailing ballots. They say the answer to staying safe may be in the hands of the United States Postal Service. 3Most Americans, age18 or older are used to voting at their local polling place. This year's general election in November could possibly be different - going out to vote in large numbers might be considered too risky. 4Already, 14 states have postponed their primary election voting because of the virus. The state of Wisconsin is holding its primary on Tuesday as planned. 5The postponements have caused a big problem for the presidential nominating system. 6For this reason, election officials across the United States are considering mail ballots. Vote-by-mail offers a way to protect the health of voters while permitting them to exercise their rights as citizens. 7"We're talking about an emergency situation, but there is bipartisan support...for vote-by-mail election reform," said Amber McReynolds. She is chief executive officer of the National Vote at Home Institute. It is a not-for-profit group that supports mail-in ballots. 8Absentee ballots that are mailed to voting centers already exist, but voting by mail would be a change for many Americans. Those against the change, and even some supporters, wonder if there is enough time to put a secure system in place by November. 9Creating a new vote-by-mail system would be a big logistical problem, researchers Collier Fernekes and Rachel Orey wrote in a report for the Bipartisan Policy Center. 10The recent $2.4 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump includes $400 million to help elections officials deal with coronavirus issues. 11But those who support vote-by-mail are asking for more. Democratic Party members in the U.S. House and Senate have written bills to give all Americans the ability to vote by mail. 12National vote, run locally 13The United States will vote on November 3 to choose the president and members of Congress. However, election systems are run by state and local governments. Each has its own rules and laws about voting. 14Of the 50 U.S. states, five hold all their elections mostly by mail: Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington. 15There are large numbers of mail-in ballots in the other states. These "absentee" ballots are for voters in the military, those traveling at election time or those who cannot go their polling place for physical reasons. 16Western and Midwestern states, and the District of Columbia, now permit anyone to use an absentee ballot for any reason. They include California, the state with the most voters. In the 2018 Congressional elections, more than 8 million Californians sent absentee ballots by mail, more than 65 percent. 17Reuters news agency says Wyoming and Alaska have said they will use mail ballots this year. 18It is estimated that nearly 25 percent of ballots were vote-by-mail in the 2016 presidential election. 19A reality check 20There are, however, problems. They include how to get Americans used to a whole new system and how to provide security. 21Elizabeth Howard advises the Democracy Project of the Brennan Center for Justice on legal issues. She has had some experience with trying to change an election system quickly. 22In August 2017, she was an official with Virginia's Department of Elections when security problems caused her to change the whole system. Although she was successful, she said changing the nation to vote-by-mail by November would be difficult and costly. 23I'm Jill Robbins. 24VOA's Masood Farivar reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOALearning English. Mario Ritter, Jr.was the editor. 25_________________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27primary- n.a vote that decides a party's candidate for a particular office in a general election 28bipartisan- adj.relating to members of two political parties 29logistics- n.the activities involved in organizing and planning a complicated event or process that involves many people 30stimulus- n.government spending meant to cause economic growth 31absentee ballot- n.a ballot cast by a person who is not able to vote in person at their voting