State needs safe in-person voting during COVID-19

Faced with the unprecedented challenge posed by COVID-19, California’s leaders took early and decisive action to contain the spread of the virus. Those same officials must now show leadership as they plan for holding an election amid an ongoing public health crisis.

They must honor the most sacred principle of our democracy that every vote — and every voter — counts. Safe, healthy and secure in-person voting is a cornerstone of that principle and must be made available to all voters. Failure to do so will risk lives and disenfranchise voters.

Citing the potential threat to public health in November, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order this month that will make a mail-in ballot available to every registered voter for the general election. The order also stressed the need to provide inperson options and called for Secretary of State Alex Padilla and the state Legislature to work with Newsom to develop requirements by the end of May.

California law has clear minimum thresholds for in-person voting options, designed to ensure that inadequate access to polling places is not a barrier to participation. However, in light of the virus, some have called for leaving the provision of inperson voting to the discretion of counties. This is the wrong approach. Preserving in-person voting may be more important than ever this year; a substantial reduction would endanger public health by forcing voters to wait in long lines and face crowds while trying to vote.

Reducing in-person voting would likely disproportionately impact historically underrepresented voters who tend to rely more heavily on polling places and vote centers: Young voters, voters of color, voters with limited English proficiency and voters with disabilities. Low-income communities and people without housing security are already more severely impacted by the pandemic and could face additional challenges if in-person voting were reduced. Leaving these voters behind this November would reverse the gains the state has made to make its elections more representative and accessible.

Safeguarding an in-person voting option is not just about catering to voters’ preferences. For many, it will be the only way they can safely vote in November.

Millions of voters will be receiving a mail ballot for the first time and will need lastminute, in-person assistance. Other voters rely on critical services they can only get at inperson voting locations, including accessible voting equipment and language assistance. And lack of reliable access to mail is a problem for people in some rural areas, dense urban neighborhoods and Native American reservations.

There also will be a tremendous need to accommodate voters who need to register to vote on Election Day, including voters who have been displaced by the pandemic and its economic impact.

State leaders need to work with local officials — now — to plan for expanded early voting, and for providing enough voting sites on Election Day to allow for social distancing. Counties should be given the resources they need to recruit poll workers and secure the protective equipment needed for workers and voters. And a campaign to educate voters should be planned and executed with community input.

Conducting a presidential election this year will undoubtedly involve new and significant obstacles, but California is up to the challenge. Since the first cases of COVID-19 arrived on the West Coast, California has been a guiding light for the nation — enacting lifesaving stayat-home orders and building its health care capacity.

This November, California has an opportunity to once again lead the way by showing the nation that our most populous, most diverse state can hold a free, fair and representative election that delivers democracy without compromising voters’ health.