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COVID-19: HOW’S IT CHANGING ELECTIONS?MAY 6, 2020
SPEAKERS
Wendy Underhill, NCSL Senator Andrew La Grone, Nebraska
Tammy Patrick, Democracy Fund
HOUSEKEEPING
Resources are in the tab above the slides—download anytime
Bios for our fabulous speakers are in another tab—get in touch anytime
Put questions in the chat box (lower left)
Also technical issues can go in the chat box or email [email protected]
We’ll save questions for the end
Stay on the line for a short survey afterward
Election Delays Due to COVID-19
Delaying primaries or runoffs
States Sending Ballot Applications to All
Sending Ballot Applications
States and All-Mail Elections
Always send ballots to voters
Allow counties to decide
Sending ballots in 2020 primaries only
Tammy Patrick
Senior Advisor to the Elections Team
Delivering Democracy:2020 Elections in the COVID Era
May 6, 2020
• Trends (& This Moment)
• Voter Registration
• Ballot Delivery & Return
• In-person Voting
When given options in voting voters tend to move away from Tuesday, Election Day as demonstrated byCharles Stewart, MIT--what I have affectionately named the “Snow Globe of Elections”.
0
1 0
1
01
1996
Election Day
Early
AK
AL
AR
AZ
CA CO
CTDCDE
FL
GA
HIIA
IDILIN
KS
KYLAMAMD
ME
MI
MN
MOMS
MT
NCNDNENH
NJ
NM
NV
NY
OH
OK
OR
PARISC
SD
TN
TX
UTVAVT
WA
WIWV
WY
Source: Current Population Survey
1996
0
1 0
1
01
2000
Election Day
Early
AK
AL
AR
AZ
CA
CO
CT
DC
DE
FLGA
HI
IA
IDILIN
KS
KYLAMAMD
ME
MI
MNMOMS
MTNC
ND
NENH
NJ
NM
NV
NY
OHOK
OR
PARISCSD
TNTX
UTVA
VT
WA
WIWV
WY
Source: Current Population Survey
2000
0
1 0
1
01
2004
Election Day
Early
AK
AL
AR
AZCA
CO
CT
DC
DE
FL
GA
HI
IA
ID
IL
IN
KS
KYLAMAMD
MEMI
MNMOMS
MT
NC
NDNE
NHNJ
NM
NV
NY
OHOK
OR
PARI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UTVA
VT
WA
WI
WVWY
Source: Current Population Survey
2004
0
1 0
1
01
2008
Election Day
Early
AK
AL
AR
AZ
CA
CO
CT
DC
DE
FL
GA
HI
IAID
ILIN
KS
KY
LA
MAMD
ME
MI
MNMOMS
MT
NC
ND
NE
NHNJ
NM
NV
NY
OH
OK
OR
PARI
SCSD
TN
TX
UT
VA
VT
WA
WI
WV
WY
Source: Current Population Survey
2008
0
1 0
1
01
2012
Election Day
Early
AK
AL
AR
AZ
CA
CO
CT
DC
DE
FL
GAHI
IA
IDILIN
KS
KY
LA
MA
MD
MEMI
MNMOMS
MT
NC
ND
NE
NHNJ
NM
NV
NY
OH
OK
OR
PARI
SCSD
TN
TX
UT
VA
VT
WA
WIWVWY
Source: Current Population Survey
2012
0
1 0
1
01
2016
Election Day
Early
AK
AL
ARAZ
CA
CO
CT
DC
DE
FL
GA
HI
IA
ID
IL
IN
KS
KY
LA
MAMD
MEMI MN
MO
MS
MTNC
ND
NE
NH
NJ
NMNV
NY
OH
OK
OR
PA
RI
SC
SD
TN
TXUT
VA
VT
WA
WIWV
WY
Source: SPAE
2016
Make no assumptions.Voters may behave differently in 2020 (and beyond).
158,846 ballots in 2016
168,788 ballots in 2018
Even if you are a state with traditionally low VBM/AB it will be larger volumes this year.
The question remains, how large?
Lesson in Wisconsin
Voter Registration
It all starts with the voter rolls.We won’t see the same VR efforts that normally occur in a Presidential Election year due to COVID.
Policies like preregistration are helpful keeping rolls current.
Democracy Fund | Presentation Title | Month DD, YYYY [CHANGE
IN MASTER TEMPLATE]
31
Online Voter Registration
1 in 4 voters said that they didn’t have OVR, but they do.
Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES)
Half the voters who said that they didn’t know, do have OVR.
Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES)
Addressing Issues in Indian Country
• Establishing USPS Tribal Addressing contact
• Use Tribal government building as acceptable address (1 each precinct preferably)
Addressing Solutions:
Ballot Delivery & Return
Tens of millions of American Voters have their ballots
handed to them by their USPS Postal Carrier, not a
pollworker.
Together election officials, industry, and USPS serve the
American Electorate and “Deliver Democracy”
New Reality of Voting by Mail
Checklist for voters who vote by mail
Checklist for election administrators
Checklist for USPS®
Checklist for state legislators
✓ Application process (each election/annual/PEVL)?Review envelope requirementsBallot trackingCheck statutory dates & deadlinesProvide ballot return optionsUpdate postmark languageSecurity
Bad Design (& all that statutorily-required language) can send the ballot back to the voter instead of to election official.
45
• Projects on VBM
materials, language
access, voter guides,
etc.
• Working with many
jurisdictions on updating
Real World Implications & WHY IT MATTERS
• Ballot delivery: VISIBILITY
• Ballot return: ACCEPTANCE
Visibility: Ballot STIDs!
• With the new STID we will increase election mail visibility in the mail stream and be able to communicate where ballots are en route.
Visibility: Individual Tracking
Informed Delivery is another security layer for voters to know when to expect their ballot.
By signing up they will know when to anticipate the ballot in their mailbox!
Visibility: Security
“The U.S. Postal Service® recommends that voters mail ballots one week before the due date to account for any unforeseen events or weather issues and to allow for timely receipt and processing by election officials”
52
Do your statutes allow for a voter to request a ballot later than this?
If so, what are their options to return the ballot?
Virginia 2017
• Had statewide ballot tracking, but not all jurisdictions took advantage of it
• Stafford County posted this picture of 55 “late” ballots they received on Weds, they did not use the IMb tracking, nor did they use the logo
• 46 of the ballots were mailed the day before, and on, Election Day.
In 2016 Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted passed a directive allowing for the use of processing marks to demonstrate a ballot was mailed in time.
In 2018 Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman got scanners for all the counties in Washington.
Return: Processing Mark Data
It takes time to count VBM…
Consider that many offices are MANUALLY opening envelopes!
Elections*:Fast
CheapAccurate
*pick two.
Good news: some policies help!
This report includes many practical, logical recommendations .
Return:
Signature Verification / Authentication
• Notifying voters when there are issues in the acceptance of their ballot is a security measure as well as good customer service.
• If it is a bad signature, and truly not theirs, how else would you know?
Follow CDC guidelines: PPP isn’t free
In-person Voting in COVID Era
Polling place facilities?Curbside ability?
Do your statutes dictate what type of facilities can be used?
Local election officials are seeing 20-75% reduction in management allowing their facilities to be used as a polling location from spring primary to November general election.
What will November look like?We don’t yet know but need to be prepared.
Who can be a pollworker?
Although we know COVID can take anyone, the most vulnerable are our regular pollworker base.
Do your statutes allow for student workers?
Does civic duty pay (often for jury duty) cover working the polls too?
Resources?
Can your state make the 20% match for the CARE funds?
Budgets are even tighter now, every efficiency will count.
Most precious resource may be time—it is running out.
UPCOMING EVENTS IN THIS SERIES
May 13: What to Consider When You’re Expecting More Absentee Voting
May 20: Moving to All-Mail Elections: Promises and Challenges
May 27: Let’s Talk About Voting Outside the Polling Place (on Zoom)
Register here https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/voting-outside-the-polling-place-webinar-series.aspx
Questions?
Tammy Patrick- [email protected]
Senator Andrew La Grone- [email protected]
NCSL Contacts:
Wendy Underhill- [email protected]
Brian Hinkle- [email protected]
