Friend,
In just a few weeks, the COVID-19 crisis has reshaped many of our day-to-day lives in ways we weren’t expecting -- including causing major disruption to yesterday’s elections.
The Common Cause team spent all day yesterday with our Election Protection partners helping voters deal with unprecedented challenges that caused record low turnout and a host of other problems. And in the past week, I’ve been talking with our voting experts, our state leaders, and dozens of Common Cause members about how best to respond.
The Center for Disease Control has advised against large events and gatherings nationwide and has called for individuals to practice social distancing.[1] We must follow the guidance of public health experts -- and prevent the kind of disruption we saw in yesterday’s primary elections.
That’s why Common Cause is calling for a delay of any in-person voting for at least the next few weeks -- and urging election officials to take the necessary steps to ensure every voter can cast their ballot safely.
This isn’t a decision we make lightly -- Common Cause has a long record of opposing last-minute changes to elections like this, which can disenfranchise voters if done hastily or without proper communication. Common Cause’s mission is all about protecting and expanding the critical right to vote.
But the public health and voting integrity challenge we face from COVID-19 makes this a necessary step -- at least in the short term.
In Illinois, Florida, and Arizona, we saw dramatically lower turnout with many voters choosing to stay home out of concern for their health, and last-minute polling place closures that made it impossible for many to vote. Meanwhile, Ohio postponed their election just hours before voters were set to cast ballots. These irregularities have weakened trust in our election systems -- and continuing in-person voting in the short term is simply not feasible.
That’s why, after hearing from Common Cause members and our state leaders, I think postponing any in-person voting during at least the next few weeks is the right thing to do. But it’s important that we do this in a way that doesn’t leave anyone behind -- and that depends on people like you and me who care about our democracy taking action.
Friend, any changes this close to the elections risk being disruptive to voters. That’s why I’m asking every Common Cause member to step up and do their civic duty to make sure every voter they know has the information they need to exercise their rights.
You have an important responsibility -- right now -- to be a leader for your community, and for your democracy. While we grapple to mitigate the damage from the coronavirus, it is imperative that millions of ordinary people like you are willing to get involved.
It’ll take all of us -- whether you live in a state that’s already voted, one that’s voting soon, one that’s not voting until the summer -- to make sure voters nationwide have the information they need to exercise their rights without disruption. And, we need your voice to ensure that election officials make these necessary changes in a way that works for people who’ve been historically disenfranchised.
Your voice will be absolutely crucial, and I’m counting on you -- will you take the pledge to help protect our democracy during the COVID-19 crisis?
American democracy is resilient. I believe we can and must come together as a country, no matter who we're voting for, to ensure that our democratic institutions and our elections are as transparent, functional, and responsive as possible.
That’s why we’re urging officials to postpone any upcoming in-person voting to #FlattenTheCurve -- early in this process, which can slow the spread of COVID-19 to minimize the strain on our healthcare systems.
This can’t be about any individual party or candidate -- it’s about doing what’s right for all voters. If nothing changes, we risk millions of voters staying home for fear of getting sick or infecting others -- and that could cast doubt on the eventual results.
However, for the general election, we will not accept any delay -- or any changes that jeopardize the ability of every eligible voter to cast their ballot, particularly in communities that are already being targeted with vote suppression.
We’ve made 10 recommendations that can be implemented before November’s election to ensure a free, fair, safe, and on-time general election even in the face of COVID-19. [2] And, we must remain on guard against any attempts to use this public health crisis to partisan ends.
American democracy has faced many challenges and emerged stronger -- right now, you are a critical part of making sure we can do that again. Please take the pledge today.
In common cause,
Karen Hobert Flynn, President
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/mass-gatherings-ready-for-covid-19.html
[2] https://www.commoncause.org/covid19
