Many voters have opted for postal ballots ahead of the US Presidential elections on November 3. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to provide $25 billion to the United States Postal Service (USPS). Louis Dejoy, general of USPS brought to the table a few reforms which were taken back. Many believe the pullback was due to pressure from Trump.
Several states have relaxed postal voting rules to discourage voters from visiting the polling booth. There is already an absentee voting or some form of postal ballots in all the states.
In 10 states, a ballot is mailed to every registered voter ahead of the election. California, Washington D.C. and Vermont have brought this provision for the very first time this year. 34 states accept COVID as a reason for absentee voting. An application for requesting an absentee ballot will be mailed to every registered voter in 9 states while other states require voters to procure the application themselves. Texas and 6 other states do not accept COVID as a reason for absentee voting.
Trump believes there should be strict identity checks for voting as he has claimed that postal ballot may lead to a rise in malpractices. He alleges there are more than 10 million unauthorized residents whose vote might cause a huge shift in results. #
Some states verify signatures by comparing the signature on the envelope with one in the records while others require a witness signature or a notarized signature. 14 states including Washington D.C do not require voters to provide ID proof while voting.
In the 2016 US Presidential election, only 24% of voters voted through postal ballots. According to an analysis by the New York Times, the 2020 elections might see around 80 million votes (67%) arriving by mail. While some believe an increase in postal voting would help Democrats, there is no evidence that either party would gain an advantage.
Written by Hardik
Artwork by Aurora Brooks
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