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Amid issues in regards to the affect of COVID-19 on the upcoming elections, many election officers throughout the US -including Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley – have really helpful voters make the most of vote-by-mail or different absentee voting alternatives.
Earley stated he’s encouraging all voters to request vote-by-mail ballots as an “insurance coverage coverage” within the occasion that COVID-19 continues to be affecting in-person voting by November’s normal election.
This method to voting has raised issues about safety amongst some. These issues range throughout states because the legal guidelines are totally different in lots of states.
One of many issues raised with the vote-by-mail or absentee voting course of is named “poll harvesting.”
In line with an article within the San Diego Tribune, “poll harvesting” refers to “a apply wherein organized staff or volunteers gather absentee ballots from sure voters and drop them off at a polling place or election workplace.”
The problem of “poll harvesting” grew to become common in California in the course of the 2018 midterm elections. Shortly earlier than the elections, state legislation relating to mail-in ballots had modified.
“In 2016, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into legislation a change to Part 3017 of the Election Code that enables any particular person to gather a mail-in poll from voters and switch within the mail poll to a polling place or the registrar’s workplace. Prior legislation restricted the apply to simply family of or these dwelling in the identical family because the voter,” in response to the article.
Some argued that “poll harvesting” brought about an inflow of last-minute votes, delaying the outcomes of the election and altering its end result. In line with the San Francisco Chronicle, Orange County Republican Social gathering chairman Fred Whitaker claimed a GOP congressional seat flipped as a direct results of poll harvesting.
Earley stated Florida legislation prevents “poll harvesting” by limiting the variety of ballots an individual can choose up for different folks.
In line with the Florida Division of State, if a voter needs to designate one other particular person to select up their poll, they need to authorize it in writing. Moreover, a designee can choose up ballots for less than two different voters per election in addition to their very own and their rapid relations’ ballots.
Earley stated signatures are additionally checked to stop voter fraud, and he inspired voters to replace their signatures.
“So far as voter fraud goes, I feel now we have excellent safeguards in place,” he stated.
Earley stated over 38,000 folks in Leon County have requested vote-by-mail ballots up to now. Voters can request ballots via a web-based request type, in particular person, or by e mail, phone, or fax.
The deadline to request a poll by mail is 5:00 p.m. 10 days earlier than Election Day, however ballots can nonetheless be picked up in particular person till Election Day.
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