How does the mail-in ballot system work?
With the COVID pandemic affecting every aspect of our lives, public elections this year have been changed to mail-in ballots. As voters get accustomed to this new system, President Trump is stoking doubts and fears about the dangers of the mail-in voting system. President Trump has been tweeting constantly about the supposed fraudulent mail-in ballots for the 2020 presidential election. But despite all the noise, there is no clear evidence that the mail balloting is favorable to which party. There are extensive protective provisions including requiring voter signatures on the external envelope, and allowing election authorities to make sure the ballot came from the address of an actual voter.
Besides a singular voting fraud case in 2018 where a a staff member who worked for Mark Harris in his Ninth Congressional district race was indicted for mishandling mail ballots and directing others to engage in election fraud, there is no clear trend that Americans are breaking the law.
This is an immensely troubling development in our electoral system. Although checking the validity of our systems is required, President Trump’s inflammatory remarks based on no evidence spreads misinformation about the state of our voting system. Unfortunately, the damage may be irreversible as the most powerful man in the country continues to spout these lies.