By Dottye Ricks
The Facts.
Ending mail-in voting is harmful to voters because it:
- Decreases voter access and turnout,
- Marginalizes groups who depend on it such as seniors, those with disabilities, overseas military personnel, rural residents and others,
- Increases logistical problems such as longer lines for voters and greater strain on election resources,
- Eliminates voter flexibility by holding voting on one day, and
- Decreases voter turn-out in case of bad weather, technical issues, and/or other emergencies.
Mail-in voting supports the right to vote and voting access. Ending mail-in voting:
- is precursor to an attempt at federal control of state elections. State control of elections is prescribed by the constitution
- will impact both political parties equally as it is used by voters across the board. Mail-in voting does not favor one political party over the other
- is almost certainly unconstitutional
Mail voting is a long-standing practice in the USA that began during the Civil War to let soldiers’ vote. “Today, 28 states allow all voters to use mail ballots, and every state allows at least some voters to do so” (Brennan Center for Justice.) In 2020, due to the pandemic and voters’ concern for personal safety, 43 percent of all ballots cast were by mail. In 2024, 30 percent of voters mailed in their ballots.
Defend the right to vote – the more people who vote, the stronger our democracy.
To read more, visit: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/mail-voting-accuracy.
