The presidential election is in its final stretch, and the United States will have a new president in a few days with the early voting turnout has reached a historic high as 91 million people have already voted all over the United States.
This presidential election has been the most controversial one for several reasons, but the coronavirus pandemic is the top of these reasons. The United States still stands on the top of the corona meter with millions of infections and over two hundred thousand dead.
The rate is still surging, with thousands of new infections on a daily basis. Due to this situation, the United States Election Office decided to use the option of mail-in ballots for the presidential election.
This decision demands a massive effort from the United States Postal Services, which has seemed to fail in the job. Still, the voter turnout this year has been record-breaking as compared to previous elections.
The huge voter turnout this year is making the job of the postal service even more complicated as it fails to deliver ballots on time.
In this article, we will bring you the latest updates on early voting and the mail delay that is creating doubts on the legitimacy of presidential elections for the first time in the history of the country.
Postal delays in battleground states amid early voting turnout:
The data released by the United States Postal Services shows that the rate of late deliveries is high amid huge early voting turnout, especially in battleground states where thousands of voters are casting their votes using the postal services.
A federal court released the data of postal service performance that suggests that nearly all local postal agencies are unable to attain the target of delivering the first-class mail ballots in five days due to the enormous workload.
These delays are creating doubts for those who have not yet signed and returned their ballot by mail. The situation can get even more critical in states like Michigan, where ballots must reach the polling office before the election date.
Other states, however, require a postmark of November 3 or before for the vote to count.
The state of Pennsylvania has sent out more than 2.9 million mail-in ballots, and the officials claim that it is nearly impossible for this many ballots to be delivered on time as the early voting turnout became greater than to was expected. The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed counting the ballots that arrive within three days of November 3.
Michigan has sent mail-in ballots to every registered voter, which must be returned before Election Day; otherwise, the ballot will not be counted. The previous week, the Supreme Court issued an order to stop the vote count in Wisconsin for ballots arriving after the polls close.
The situation in every state is somewhat the same, leading towards the most controversial election in the country’s history.
Record-breaking 90+ million ballots cast by Saturday as early voting turnout became unpredictable:
Despite the delay in delivery, Americans are trying their best to get their vote counted by participating in early voting. The latest news shows that more than 91 million Americans have cast their vote by Saturday, which is huge, compared to the voter turnout of 2016’s presidential elections.
Thirty-five states, including Washington and North Carolina, have already achieved their halfway mark for the 2016 ballots cast.
According to reports, more than half of these 90 million ballots have been cast from the battleground states. This is good as well as bad news because this will further complicate the job for the postal service to deliver these ballots on time.
Can mail-in ballots delay election results?
With the growing number of ballot applications and cast ballots with the huge early voting turnout, there is also an arising danger of delay in election results.
Election officials have repeatedly warned that the country may not have the name of the next president even after Election Day. The results could be delayed by days or even weeks.
We have already seen such a scenario in various primaries due to the surge in absentee ballots. Millions applied for absentee voting in various states, which resulted in delaying the election results for weeks.
Six particular states, including Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, are expected to have a slight margin between the presidential candidates, and therefore results should not be announced until all ballots have been completely verified.
In many states, election officials are trying to count the mail-in ballots before Election Day so that the heavy load of work could be spread out, and results could be announced as soon as possible.
Haven’t voted yet? What should you do?
More than 90 million Americans have cast their ballots, and if you are not one of them, do not mail out your ballot.
Presidential elections are just two days away, and sending the ballot through the postal service can get your ballot infringed due to late delivery.
The Supreme Court has extended the receiving time for some states, but still, your ballot may reach later than that. If you have not voted as of yet, you should personally deliver the ballot in the dropbox. This will get your vote counted in the presidential election.
Additionally, in some states, the Supreme Court has allowed a postal mark by November 3 to validate the ballot cast, so you should hurry up and get a postal mark on your ballot without waiting any further.
Conclusion:
This year’s election is going to be the most controversial in the history of the country, but that should not stop you from casting your vote. One vote can make the difference, and your vote is your voice for better education, housing, healthcare, and other issues. The election is your chance to give power to whoever you think will best serve the country. The election is decided by those who vote, and even though the process is complicated, you should try your best to get your vote counted.
Read more about early voting: Record-breaking early voting turnout in 2020 elections: What does it mean for the campaign of both the parties?
Eli is a Political Data Scientist with over thirty years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics, and Digital Marketing. Eli uses his expertise to give the latest information and distinctive analysis on US Political News, US Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, and Racial Justice equipping readers with the inequivalent knowledge.