Voters have been debating whether voting by mail is a safe option for this upcoming election. They are worried that voting by mail promotes fraud. These voters believe that fellow Americans could double vote or even vote for someone who is deceased. Another worry is that there will be a backup in the postal service and their vote will not count. What these voters do not realize is that we have been voting by mail since the Civil War, and mail-in ballot fraud is not common as the average person thinks.
“There has been one hundred forty-three cases of fraud using mailed ballots over the course of 20 years, that comes out to seven or eight cases per year, nationally,” is what Amber McReynolds, CEO the National Vote at Home Institute, wrote in an article for The Hill. That comes out to about 0.00006 percent of total votes cast. Even though President Trump is worried voting by mail may raise fraud this year due to the number of voters mailing-in ballots, it will not be by a significant percent. Voting fraud is inexcusable, yet very uncommon, and is not a reason to stop a process that has been happening for years.
Election officials have also said they will also be using drop boxes to collect the ballots to make sure they are counted in time. This assures no ballots get lost in the mail. CNN’s Tara Subramaniam wrote, “Drop boxes are located in secure places like county courthouses, election offices, and are sometimes built outside for 24/7 access.” Even with these drop boxes, many voters are still worried about fraud, and because of this, the EAC (Elections Assistance Committee) has also suggested the use of security cameras at the drop boxes to keep these ballots safe. According to experts, only election administrators have access to these boxes. These administrators are the same people who handle ballots at the polls.
The EAC has stated that, in the 2016 general election, approximately 24 percent of ballots were cast by mail. In this upcoming election, it is suspected 50-60 percent of the population will vote by mail. The United States has been voting by mail for over one hundred years and should not stop now. It has been working. Voting by mail is a safe and easy option during this pandemic and should be considered by all voters. Make sure to vote, no matter how you go about it.