Mail-in Very Similar to Absentee Ballots
The Claim
Mail-in ballots that have been suggested for use in the upcoming presidential election are vastly different from absentee ballots that have been broadly used in U.S. elections.
News posted on
Emerging story
In late July 2020, many users on social media stated that mail-in voting is significantly different from absentee voting, a practice in which American citizens who are unable to get to an official poll are allowed to send in their votes through the mail. As a result of conflicting ideas of what exactly a mail-in vote would entail, the discussion on the topic went viral, particularly on Twitter.
Misbar’s Analysis
In the midst of a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States presidential election is still scheduled for November 3, 2020. Due to the dangers present in large gatherings of people, officials have floated the idea of a nationwide mail-in voting system. This potential solution has come under fire by President Donald Trump and many of his followers. Trump and others have stated that a mail-in vote would be catastrophic and rife with fraud.
However, Misbar's investigation found that there is little practical difference between mail-in voting and absentee voting. The major distinction between them is that while absentee votes must be requested, while a widespread mail-in vote would have ballots mailed to each registered voter. However, both face scrutiny during the same verification and certification processes. Several states (including Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and Hawaii) have successfully conducted mail-in voting in previous elections.
Furthermore, fear of voting fraud has been greatly exaggerated by some groups and individuals. According to the Heritage Foundation, only 1,290 proven instances of voter fraud have occurred within 250,000,000 absentee/mail-in votes.
Up to 77% of American voters will be able to cast votes by mail in the November election.
