How to put in place a system to cast and count votes fairly and promptly while preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus is a major issue for the U.S. presidential election in November.
A focal point in the election is expanding the use of "mail-in ballots." Voters can avoid the risk of becoming infected at polling stations by using the mail to return ballots that were sent to their homes or drop off their ballots at designated locations.
All 50 states have adopted mail-in ballots as a means of absentee voting. In the presidential election four years ago, nearly a quarter of all votes were cast by mail.
This time, moves to facilitate mail-in voting are more noticeable as California has decided to send ballots for mail-in voting to all registered voters.
It is understandable that calls for promoting mail-in voting are spreading at a time when there is no sign of the coronavirus crisis being brought under control. The problem is that the pros and cons of such a system could deepen political divisions and leave mutual hard feelings even after the election.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his Republican Party oppose mail-in voting, saying that it enables illicit acts, including counterfeiting of ballots and bogus voting in which a person assumes a different identity to cast a vote. On the other hand, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee to challenge Trump, supports the expansion of the voting system, saying that it is necessary to make voting easier.
Voter turnout of black and Latin American voters, who are the support base for the Democrats, tends to be lower than that of white voters. Trump and the Republicans, whose core support base is white people, seem to think that an increase in voter turnout due to the expansion of mail-in ballots will work against their camp.
To reduce political conflict over mail-in voting, it is essential to take thorough measures to prevent irregularities, such as checking the signatures of voter registration documents against those on reply envelopes, to increase the credibility of postal voting.
It is also important to strengthen the system to shorten the time needed to gather and count votes. Taking the ballots out of envelopes will inevitably require a lot of work. In some states, voting-day postmarks are valid even if the ballots arrive the next day or later.
In a presidential election, the winner is determined not by the total votes for each candidate, but by a state-by-state tally of wins and losses. It is feared that vote counting work will be prolonged and candidates will fight a close race in several states, and as a result, the winner will not be known even the day after the ballot voting and counting is scheduled to take place.
It is also worrisome that Trump declines to say whether he will accept the outcome of the presidential election. He seems to be trying to leave room for objections, saying that there was fraud in the mail-in ballots and other areas, even if information indicating his defeat is released.
Elections are the foundation of democracy. The outcome of the U.S. presidential election will influence the course of not only the United States but also the entire world. It is hoped that the United States will recognize its heavy responsibility and set an example.
-- The original Japanese article appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on July 21, 2020.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
