Election Day(s) 2020
Tuesday, November 3, 2020 is officially Election Day in the United States. However, by the time that day rolls around, the majority of eligible voters may have already made their voice heard at the polls. On October 16th, the Associated Press reported that 22.2 million people have voted — and there are still eight states that have not yet reported their early voting totals. Election Day has become Election Days.
Washington State has been voting exclusively by mail since 2005 (an effort that began in the 1980’s). Ballots for the November general election were mailed out by October 16th, giving Washingtonians 18 days to decide who they want to elect to the offices of Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State and more. Those new to Washington or those who have never voted had until October 26th to register by mail or online. From now until Election Day, voters must register in person at their county elections department.
The Brennan Center for Justice is one of several organizations that has worked over the years to win voting rights for former felons in Washington. Convicted felons who are no longer under the authority of the Department of Corrections have full voting rights. Information about voting rights following a felony conviction can be found at the Secretary of State’s website and the ACLU Washington’s Know Your Rights site.
In addition to the state officials already mentioned, four members of the State Supreme Court are up for re-election this year. Chief Justice Debra Stephens and Associate Chief Justice Charles Johnson are running un-opposed, while newly appointed Justices Raquel Montoya-Lewis and G. Helen Whitener face challengers. More information about these races and all judicial elections (including Court of Appeals, Superior Court, Municipal and District Courts) can be found on the non-partisan website VotingforJudges.org.
Political candidates and ballot measures are not the only memorable Election Day stories dominating the headlines this year.
· Get Out The Vote Efforts: “Get out the vote” campaigns are part of every election cycle and it seems like more and more organizations are getting involved, even your favorite sports teams. In 2019 the Harvard Business Review wrote about the impact of GOTV drives on registration numbers and on corporate brand awareness.
· Public Health: Where once we worried about whether or not we could vote and get our weekly market trips done on the same day, we now have other concerns — namely, how to vote in the middle of a global pandemic. Not only do voters have questions about their safety while standing in line, some have also questioned whether their vote will still count if they succumb to COVID-19 before Election Day.
· Long Lines: During the presidential primaries, our screens were full of photos of people waiting in long lines for hours to cast votes. Now for the general election, the lines in some states are even longer. In June our blog covered the U.S. Supreme Court case that many blame for them.
· Court Fights: Last month NPR reported on the “unprecedented” amount of election-related litigation currently in state and federal courts. From the article: “Hundreds of lawsuits are already swirling around mail-in voting as campaigns, parties and outside groups try to sort issues both basic and technical — questions such as must a ballot be received by or just postmarked by Election Day? Can states require a witness for a mail-in ballot? What standards are being used to judge a voter’s signature? Can drop boxes be used to return ballots instead of relying on the U.S. Postal Service?”
· Selfies and Swag: Turn on any social media channel right now and you’ll almost immediately find someone posing with their politically branded masks, t-shirts, hats or buttons on their way to the polls or the ballot box. Often you will find a photo of someone’s actual ballot. Is this legal? To find out, check out InStyle’s article on what you can and can’t wear to the polls and King5 (Seattle) News’ piece on taking a selfie with your ballot. (LE)
