The Democratic National Committee wants to ensure what happened during the Wisconsin primary election doesn’t happen again in November.
Democratic party leaders are pushing for expanded voting options so voters do not have to choose whether to cast a ballot at the polls or risk getting sick.
That is the scenario that played out during Wisconsin’s primary election after the Supreme Court blocked the state from extending its absentee mailing period. The decision forced voters to stand in line, many without face masks, to cast their vote.
Now, Politico reports that Democratic party leaders are working to prevent the same thing from happening during the presidential election.
The party is reviewing voting rules in every state as it works toward expanding early voting and vote-by-mail.
The Democratic National Committee has deployed “voter protection directors” in 17 states to defend against what they view as moves to block access to the polls, Politico reports.
At the federal level, Democrats are advocating for national standards for vote-by-mail, online registration and in-person early voting.
President Donald Trump has opposed expanded vote-by-mail measures saying they lead to voter fraud and it “doesn’t work out well for Republicans.”
“There is only one major political party in America that wants to create a scenario where there are limited, safe opportunities for people to cast their ballot,” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, president of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, told Politico. “Trump himself has said it. They are not even hiding it anymore. They are talking about it openly and publicly.”
The Democratic Party has some support from the Republicans, The Washington Post reports.
Many Republicans in office are encouraging people to vote by mail during the coronavirus outbreak.
“Voting by mail is an easy, convenient and secure way to cast your ballot,” read a mail piece the Republican National Committee distributed across Pennsylvania. “Return the attached official Republican Party mail-in ballot application to avoid lines and protect yourself from large crowds on Election Day.”