Voting By Mail and American Democracy

There’s a good chance of a new wave of Covid-19 infections in the fall. Voting in person at polling stations is likely to be risky, if not outright dangerous, for many, if not most, voters. Voting by mail is the obvious solution. That system has been in place here in Colorado and in several other states for several years, and it works smoothly and efficiently. Voting by mail should be national policy. 

Most Republicans want to prevent voting by mail from being an option. Preventing voting by mail fits in with their general policy of voter suppression –– disenfranchising as many people as possible in an effort to tilt elections in their favor. Trump wants to shut down or cripple the U.S. Postal Service as a precaution to make sure voting by mail doesn’t happen.

There’s a chance that American democracy will survive this nightmare of Trump and Trumpism. It’s too early to tell.