Voting this election safe — and essential
With the United States in the grips of a historic global pandemic, concerns over the safety of the voting process have taken center stage. As a scholar of politics, I know how important safe, free, and fair elections are to the very definitions of democracy and American citizenship; I also know that this year’s election will be administered fairly and safely here in Connecticut.
Due to the pandemic, this election will see historic levels of voting before Election Day, including through early voting and ballots cast through the mail. Some are concerned about the prevalence of mail-in ballots, fearing they might be more vulnerable to manipulation than in-person voting. Others worry the recent postal service changes will result in backlogs and diminished public trust.
Concern over early voting is tied to doubts about the integrity of our electoral system, but that system has proven resilient and capable. A commission tasked by President Donald Trump to investigate voter fraud disbanded without issuing any major findings, indicating that the problem is not as widespread as alleged. One study of the 2016 election found four total instances of fraud that year of over 135 million votes cast.
The situation is similar here at home. Since 1988, millions of ballots have been cast in Connecticut. According to The Heritage Foundation, there have been a total of 26 recorded instances of voter fraud in the state during that same 32year time period, meaning that the instance of election fraud in our state is exceedingly rare.
We would do well to follow the lead of the Connecticut Secretary of the State and the town clerks and focus on present concerns. That means preserving public health and especially ensuring COVID-safe access to polling locations.
Connecticut has taken steps to make sure that this election is administered fairly. Historically, the state has limited who can vote absentee. But over the summer, the General Assembly approved a measure giving all voters in the state the option to vote absentee.
State-wide party primaries held this past August demonstrated that absentee ballots were popular among voters in the state, with over half the votes being cast absentee. The system worked well, as it has in states like Oregon and Utah that have safely used widespread mail-in ballots for many years.
The increase in mailed ballots will no doubt make extra work for town election officials. In order to address the burden of processing these added ballots, state lawmakers have moved forward the date on which town election officials can begin processing ballots by four days. Officials can now open the outer envelope and verify the legitimacy of the ballot starting on Friday, Oct. 30. At the same time, the inner envelope containing the actual ballot must remain sealed until Election Day.
Officials have also used federal funding through the CARES Act to ensure that every town in Connecticut has at least one secure ballot drop box outside its town hall. These drop boxes provide a helpful reminder of the hard work officials are undertaking to secure the public’s trust in the election’s outcome.
Our national election system isn’t one central operation. Instead, it is helmed by thousands of civil servants, often with the help of volunteers, who are working to ensure the safety of voting and the reliability of the results. In announcing these heightened measures, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said that state officials’ most important mission is “making it more convenient for voters to cast their ballots in a safe and healthy way.”
As voters, we honor their commitment to public service by participating in the election. Connecticutters should take comfort in the steps our state is undertaking to ensure a safe and reliable outcome and to maintain the strength of our democracy.