Mail-In Voting is Key

Voting for the U.S. presidential election began on September 21, when several states started sending out mail-in ballots. Though this has long been established, it was challenged in recent elections and is now questioned by the Republican candidate, Donald Trump. It is likely to reach unprecedented levels this time around.

On one hand, it is a convenience. U.S. elections are held on the first Tuesday of November, and it is not a holiday. Anyone who wants to vote can do so, but turnout is voluntary. The last elections showed the American public’s interest in politics: in 2020, over 150 million voters participated, equaling about 69% of registered voters. This year is expected to be similar.

In this context, absentee or early voting—whether by mail or online—could exceed 36% of the total, as it did four years ago. As then, it may become a source of nearly endless debates and conspiracy theories. The reasons are simple: convenience, certainly. For a country as large as the United States, with seven million square kilometers of territory and 320 million inhabitants (including about 240 million eligible voters), around 94,000 polling stations are expected. That means about one for every 320,000 inhabitants, often in central locations, but not necessarily easily accessible for all voters, especially minorities.

For comparison, in Mexico’s last elections, there were at least 75,000 polling stations for 99 million voters across a territory of 1.9 million square kilometers.

But there are also other, perhaps more important, factors. One of them is safety, or rather, the ability to vote without fear, especially after the 2020 elections and the subsequent challenges to the vote and results.

Historically, it has not been rare for ethnic minorities to report intimidation campaigns, particularly in states that formed the secessionist coalition in the 1861-65 Civil War and in the southern parts of the country.

According to the Movement Advancement Project in a 2022 report, such practices can range from private citizens stationing military-style vehicles near polling stations during the 2020 elections to armed voters at the polls, which is permitted in more than 30 states, or the presence of armed police at polling stations in states like Alabama, where law enforcement has a contentious history with minorities.

In Florida, the state government sponsors legal measures that, under the guise of protecting the vote, have an intimidating effect on groups such as African Americans, not to mention efforts to intimidate election workers.

The movement claims that Trump has encouraged voter harassment, in addition to speaking out against mail-in voting, claiming that Democrats are “ready to cheat,” especially those voting from abroad. Trump questioned absentee voting in 2020, considering it susceptible to fraud.

However, it’s likely that Republican objections stem from the fact that absentee voting benefited Democrats, particularly President Joe Biden.

Mexico is home to the largest population of U.S. residents outside the country, and both Democrats and Republicans are mobilized to secure their votes.

Yet again, issues are expected on November 5.

Nota publicada originalmente en El Heraldo de México