With the 2020 presidential election in the United States just three months away, many Americans are still concerned about the safety of going in polling places and voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the choice of "mail-in" and absentee voting comes to mind.
As the US remains to be the country with the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the world, many Americans are still confused about whether they will be eligible to vote through other methods. According to Brookings Institution has stated that the most secure way that Americans can cast their votes in the middle of the pandemic is through voting by mail.
However, given the fact that most Americans are still new to mail-in voting, it is usually confused with absentee voting. In a report by Newsweek, it explained the difference between the mail-in ballot and absentee ballots.
How is Mail-in Voting Different from Absentee Voting?
There have been several instances that the two terms have been interchanged even by state officials. In a statement by Brooking Institution's director for effective management, Elaine Kamarck she differentiated the two saying that for absentee voting, the responsibility to apply for an absentee ballot relies on the voted.
She also stated that in 'Universal Mail-in Ballot states' all voters who are registered will automatically receive a ballot in their mail.
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According to Heavy.com, the states of Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii have adopted the universal mail-in ballot system. This means that most of the counties in the said states, if not all of them, will be sending out ballots to their residents who are registered to vote and such votes will be cast through the mail.
On the other hand, unlike mail-in voting that does not cover all the states, absentee voting is possible in every state in the US. This means that when a registered voter requests for an absentee ballot in case they cannot be present and vote in person on the day of the election they can do so.
However, there are only a number of reasons that are acceptable for absentee voting. Those who can choose to be an absentee voter are:
1. Students living outside the country.
2. Citizens who are registered to vote but are outside the country.
3. Sick and disabled voters
4. People at work or in jury duty during the poll hours.
5. Those with religious beliefs or practices preventing them from going to polling centers.
6. Election workers or poll watchers
7. Those who are in prison yet are still eligible to vote.
Meanwhile, there are also several states that allow absentee voting despite not having the aforementioned reasons. States are known to allow no-excuse absentee ballot are: Alaska, Arizona, California, Washington DC, Florida Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
As the presidential election approaches, the percentage of Americans that have become eligible to vote through the mail has significantly increased. Despite the issues that has been thrown in its way, it seems that many are choosing to mail in their votes in order to stay safe from the virus and at the same time practice their right of suffrage.
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