In 2018, 25% of Americans who voted, voted by mail. In 2020, these numbers are projected to be even higher with the Covid-19 pandemic still raging in the US. But the use of mail ballots in the November 2020 presidential election has become a point of contestation. President Trump has argued on Twitter that mail in ballots should not be used in the presidential election. Others claim mail-in voting is secure and increases turn-out and fear Trump's position is part of a longer game to discredit the election results.
Yes, mail-in ballots should be banned in the 2020 US Elections.
Current President Donald Trump and his followers have openly advocated for the banning of mail in ballots in the 2020 elections for a variety of (unsubstantiated) reasons.
COVID-19, along with mass unemployment will see many millions electing to vote from home. The sheer number of blank ballots in circulation (sent to wrong addresses or inactive voters) will inevitably lead to an increase in fraud.
Foreign countries will sway US elections with counterfeit ballots
Both Attorney General William Barr and President Trump claim foreign adversaries will take advantage of an increase in mail-in voting by printing counterfeit ballots to commit fraud on a massive scale and skew the election.
Vote-in-person advocacy groups often claim that mail-in voting ballots are likely to go missing. They give a figure of 28 million mail-in ballots missing in the last four elections.
At least half of US states do not have solid mail-in voting infrastructure set up. Converting to this new system will be expensive and difficult. Especially due to the amount of people projected to vote-by-mail this year, this could be a disaster.
No, mail-in ballots should not be banned in the 2020 US Presidential elections.
Proponents of mail in ballots often cite voter safety and increased turnout. They claim voting-by-mail is necessary to give everyone a voice during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Donald Trump cannot win without mail-in voting
Donald Trump's supporters will largely vote-by-mail. They must be given this opportunity or he will claim the election was rigged and chaos will ensue.
Mail-In ballots are necessary to ensure that everyone can vote safely
In the face of a nationwide COVID-19 pandemic, Mail-in voting is the only way to ensure Americans' constitutional rights without a risk to their lives or health.
Absentee ballots are needed because the traditional voting system is broken
Absentee ballots help mitigate the underfunded and messy US electoral system which otherwise leads to mass disenfranchisement - voting in person can disenfranchise the disabled, those unable to take time off work or childcare.
All the evidence suggests mail-in voter fraud is statistically non-existent. The scale at which fraud by mail-in-voting would need to occur to have any impact on the election is impossible to achieve.
There is no evidence that mail-in voting privileges one party
The majority of peer-reviewed studies published by reputable academic publishers and universities demonstrate that mail-in voting offers no partisan advantage or disadvantage for either Democrat or Republican party.
For both state and federal governments as well as for individual voters, mail-in voting saves money. For governments, the infrastructure set-up is quickly amortised over time. For individuals, mail-in ballots mean no time off, or childcare costs.
