With election day here, COVID-19 plays a role in many factors of voting. One issue that comes with having a presidential election in the middle of a global pandemic is how to keep people safe while voting. Normally millions of people go to the polls on election day to cast their votes for president, representatives, and other issues, but this year it is a safety hazard. Having hundreds of people in the same place, standing in line and casting ballots was bound to have some effect on COVID cases. Even before election day 7 states reported all time high hospitalizations this week. Many states are taking precautions to try to minimize the spread of COVID during the election, but it’s not foolproof.
Over 232,000 people have died so far in the US as a result of COVID and the seven-day average for deaths is still rising. Many experts are worried about President Trump’s attitude on the matter and disagree with his claim that the US is “rounding the turn”. Many people who fear that Trump isn’t doing enough to prevent the spread of the virus are voting for Joe Biden in the election, in hopes that a new president will make better decisions.
Other’s see the economy as a more pressing issue at the moment. With businesses being shut down for so long the economy is suffering and soem business owners are worried about their futures, especially if they need their business to support their families. Trump’s promises to open up the economy are convincing some voters to vote for him.
Personally I think there needs to be more precautions taken when it comes to the polls. Even though many people are choosing to mail in their ballots as opposed to voting in person, it isn’t enough. People should be encouraged or even required to mail their ballots if they are able to and I think voting should last more than one day in order to spread voters out. In addition, I think the lives of Americans need to be prioritized higher than the economy. It is impossible tobring back the hundreds of thousands of people lost, and preventing more needs to be the most important thing on any president’s mind.
What do you think would have been the best plan for voting in order to prevent the spread of COVID?
Is it more important to help the economy or prevent the spread of COVID at the moment?
Should voters be basing their votes solely on how the candidates plan on handling the current pandemic?
I think that a mix of in-person and mail voting was the best option, similar to what actually ended up happening. While mail-in ballots should be prioritized during a pandemic, I do not believe that the government should be able to deny people the right to vote in person if that is what they want for themselves.
ReplyDeletePreventing the spread of COVID is undoubtedly more important than supporting the economy at this time. However, I also think that the bad state of the economy caused by the lockdowns tends to go underrepresented / downplayed in the media. Closing businesses and livelihoods does destroy lives--it just isn't a visible statistic like COVID deaths are, which sometimes makes the economy seem like less of an issue than it is. The best solution is to find a way to open up safely, simultaneously boosting the economy while still protecting people from COVID.
And while the pandemic is a central issue to this election, it definitely isn't the only thing to consider when making a decision. The pandemic could (possibly) be gone within a year or so, but the President we choose will be with us for at least 4 years.
Universal mail-in ballots would have been the best plan for voting in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Voter suppression is huge in some states, but with universal mail-in ballots, people of any social class can easily have their voices heard while staying safe.
ReplyDeleteIt’s definitely more important to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the moment rather than the economy. More frequent, better stimulus checks would take some of the financial burden off of people’s shoulders while they are unemployed. While it’s heartbreaking that businesses have had to close, it’s more important to try and slow down the amount of deaths. While I was working at a local bakery over the summer, I did not feel like my boss was taking proper precautions, prioritizing profits over his employees’ health and safety.
People should vote based on what they care about. There’s the pandemic, but there are also issues such as global warming, systematic racism, immigration, abortion, and equal rights for the LGBTQ community. Individuals should look at what matters to them, and choose the candidate that will also value those issues.
I feel that allowing people to go in-person to vote is not the smartest idea. Obviously, with masks and all the precautions the transmission rates are low, but not zero. I feel taking the chance to maybe catch it is not worth it and universal mail-in ballots are the superior method.
ReplyDeletePrioritizing the prevention of the spread of COVID is much more important than helping the economy. If you aren't able to prevent the spread of COVID then the economy will just keep getting worse and worse. So if you try to help the economy before the spread of COVID I feel that there is no point. It will really be for nothing as the economy will get worse because of COVID.
People should vote partly based on what the candidates plan on handling the current pandemic. COVID is one current problem, but I feel for the next 3 years is also important, so you should vote for the candidate that you feel is handling COVID better, but also has a plan for after COVID.
As with what the greater majority has already said, in-person ballots were far from the best idea this year, considering how severe the COVID pandemic already is in our own Country. It's an unprecedented time for everyone, but I don't think that mail in voting is really that big of an issue. Not only does it decrease the spread of COVID, it decreases the chances of becoming a carrier and altogether decreasing that chance for society as a whole.
ReplyDeleteNow, whether or not you can "choose" between COVID and the Economy is frankly a hard question. Off the top of my head, it's obvious to contain the spread of COVID as much as possible, but realistically the world doesn't work that way. Everyone has been impacted by COVID in some shape or form, be it personally or financially, so there are a lot more arguments for both sides. Personally, I think that the biggest priority at the moment is on the COVID Pandemic.
Finally, with this year's Election, the differing plans and campaigns in dealing with COVID are definitely a great concern for all of us. Realistically, there are going to be countless debates from both sides regardless of the pandemic, so it is a big consideration but definitely not the deal breaker.
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ReplyDeleteOver the last weekend, I actually worked in the Presidential polls. Due to us not being allowed to directly count either mobile votes, paper ballots and mail ballots. However, the rough estimate made by my supervisor was 227 Tablet votes, 67 printed ballots and about 170 vote by mail ballots. It was an interesting experience and i was able to learn much more about the safety precautions put in place by our government. I agree with a large portion of the people here in the case that a healthy mix of both vote by mail and in poll voting was the best option, as there wasn't even a line when taking in voters because of the mail ballots. It was also interesting to learn that you could vote up to 3 days before November 3rd. But over the 2 days of Saturday and Sunday, there was only about 43 voters in total.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone else has said, mail-in ballots are very much the safest way to prevent the spread of COVID while still allowing people to vote. I think in-person voting is still valuable for those who prefer it, though, and with a larger amount of people choosing mail-in voting, there's also a decrease in people going in person. So, while going in person might not be as safe, it's still not going to skyrocket the spread of the virus (assuming that a larger amount of people aren't going in person and there are very few people voting in person at a particular place at a given time).
ReplyDeletePreventing the spread of COVID, like others said, is definitely a priority and remains more of a concern than the economy. However, we should still be paying attention to the economy and not completely tossing it aside as a non-issue. It is still very much an issue, but it's an issue that can be tackled at a later date, unlike the pandemic.
Lastly, voters should not be voting for a president SOLELY based on how they are going to deal with the pandemic. Obviously, it should be taken into consideration a rather large amount, but, when the pandemic is over, those other beliefs and policies will begin to surface more prominently and people should still be looking to the future for when that does happen. Considering a candidate for this election is similar to an election under "normal" circumstances, there's just an extra factor that people need to consider.
I would agree that mail in ballots would have been a good system for this year's election. It's the safest method of voting to avoid close contact with others in the public. I think that drive through drop off ballots would also have been a good method that was safe for COVID-19 rules and regulations. I think that it's more important right now to stop the spread of the virus. The quicker we can get cases down, and create safe spaces for reopening, the better the economy will get. The economy shut down because of the virus and the sudden need to close down. Once we can get the pandemic under control, we can work towards reopening and rebuilding the economy. I don't think voters should vote solely on each candidates plan for the pandemic. That was definitely one of the major topics and debates this year, but there are other important policies that should be considered when choosing the president. It's important that people consider the things that each candidate has planned, and how they want the country to be run for the next four years.
ReplyDeleteI think that mail n ballots were a good idea, however, I think that in person voting wasn't the worst thing in the world; those who missed the mail in date could go vote in person which could have affected the votes. I think right now though, preventing the spread of COVID is the most important thing as many people have died from this pandemic. I think we should be voting for candidates as a whole, not just their COVID-19 plans. However, COVID-19 should be one of our first concerns.
ReplyDeleteLike others have already mentioned, a mix of in-person and mail-in votes was probably the safest way to vote this year. Mail-in ballots allowed people to stay home and prevent the spread of COVID-19, but I think seeing people go out and vote was motivation and a reminder for others to do the same. In terms of helping the economy, I agree with Lauren and others that stopping the spread of the virus is more important. The longer the pandemic goes on and the more people get sick, the worse the economy will get, so the virus should definitely be a priority. But it’s also important to remember that while the virus is taking lives, a poor economy and job loss also endanger people already in poverty who can’t afford basic necessities. It’s a hard question because both the economy and stopping the virus are important, and both impact peoples’ lives immensely.
ReplyDeleteI worked the polls this year, and as usual the media seemed to throw the amount of waiting in line and dangers of in-person voting out of proportion. We got a maximum of 350 people voting on Tuesday, with 150 being a drop off of a mail in ballot, so over 13 hours the danger of corona seemed minimal. As Laura has mentioned, the dangers of people not having basic necessities and a reliance on their job should also be taken into consideration, so there again needs to be a balance. I think the biggest factor here is educating people on how exact this disease is spread, how to ensure safety, and what is considered safe is key to ensuring both fiscal and hygiene safety. Corona will inevitably cease to spread once we've achieved herd immunity, so voting for the whole of the person will lead to the best result for the country.
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