Senators Urge Vote-by-Mail Option during Pandemic

In the US, senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have joined Senator Amy Klobuchar to introduce legislation that would ensure Americans are able to vote by mail this year, amid disruptions caused by Covid-19.

The bill would enable voters who did not receive an absentee ballot to use a printable paper (currently only provided to military and overseas voters), allowing them to use 'vote-by-mail' from their homes. This legislation comes as five states have already postponed primaries in response to the pandemic.

The Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act (NDEBA) aims to ensure that voters in all states have twenty days of early in-person voting and 'no-excuse absentee vote-by-mail', and ensures states begin processing votes cast during early voting or by mail fourteen days before Election Day. If the act succeeds, it will guarantee that all voter registration applications submitted by mail or online between one and twenty days prior to Election Day are deemed valid. It will also establish a contingency plan to enable eligible Americans to vote in the case of an emergency.

If 25% of states declare a state of emergency related to the coronavirus, the bill would require all states to allow an absentee voting option for all citizens. Wyden comments: 'Vote by mail is increasingly looking like the only way for states to conduct elections. It will give us the highest chance of avoiding delayed elections and ensuring Americans can exercise their constitutional rights. No one should have to put their health at risk to vote'.