As October draws to a close and November begins, many people, regardless of their political affiliation, are deciding on how they will vote this year. Due to the effects of COVID-19, the majority of citizens in the United States have been offered many accessible methods through which to cast their vote in this year’s election.
The first way to vote, which is the way most citizens have voted in the past, is in-person voting. For this kind of voting, you should go to your designated voting place on one of the days that you can vote, and place your vote physically. This can either be on Election Day, or a county-approved early voting day. Do note, however, that only some polling locations offer in person voting.
The government has put into practice more safety precautions as a result of COVID-19, in accordance with current CDC (Center for Disease Control) guidelines. These include maintaining a distance of six feet between voters and limiting the number of people inside the polling place at any time. Masks are mandatory as well in all indoor public spaces.
The second way to vote is to vote by mail. In order to receive your ballot by mail, you must fill out the “Application for a Mail-In Ballot.” This is a form that Marylanders should have received in the mail in September. The necessary information for this form consists of the voter’s email address, phone number, mailing and primary living address, driver’s license number, and the last four digits of their Social Security Number. On this form, you can also decide if you prefer the paper route, or receiving a link to your ballot electronically, also known as “internet delivery.”
However, there are possible risks for each way that we can vote this year. Stephanie Dees said that something she is worried about when she goes in person to vote this year, is that it has been known that some people are not following the rules when it comes to wearing masks. As a result, it is possible that she and other voters can acquire the coronavirus.
Despite having the ability to mail a ballot in, many people said that they would rather risk getting COVID-19 than voting by mail. Nicholas Simpson said that he would rather go in person, as he doubts the efficiency of mail carriers, as lately they have been having delays to their deliveries.
However, not everyone is against mail-in voting. Samantha Moulds said that she would be voting by mail this year, as she is able to, and doing so would free some of the crowding and potential contact for people who can not vote by mail.
As for receiving a ballot via internet delivery, Courtney Andrews said that she would not be receiving it that way, as she is afraid her internet could cut out or that if many Marylanders were to use this form of voting, that it may glitch and she will not be able to vote.
Whichever way you choose to vote this year, there will be risks. As a community, we need to minimize those risks as best we can while remaining safe.
In coming to your decision in how to vote this year, recognize that there will be some inherent risks to any of the provided methods. Unlike before, you as a voter will not be deciding on just who to vote for, but in what way you feel most comfortable doing so during these trying times.
