© 2024 NPR Illinois
The Capital's Community & News Service
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Block The Vote: Mail-In Voting And Disenfranchisement

Protest material that resemble mail-in election ballots are seen as demonstrators gather on Kalorama Park to protest President Donald Trump donor and current U.S. Postmaster General  Louis Dejoy in Washington, DC.
Protest material that resemble mail-in election ballots are seen as demonstrators gather on Kalorama Park to protest President Donald Trump donor and current U.S. Postmaster General Louis Dejoy in Washington, DC.

In the first installment of our new series “Block the Vote,” we’re tackling mail-in voter disenfranchisement.

Cutting down on the number of people in enclosed spaces is absolutely vital during the pandemic. That’s why many plan to cast their ballot by mail.

But mail-in voting is not a panacea, and certain populations anticipate facing additional challenges this November — particularly, nursing home residents and Native Americans living on reservations.

Meanwhile, there are efforts underway to make voting by mail more difficult. The Trump administration has repeatedly pushed the narrative that mail-in voting opens the election up to massive fraud. There is no evidence to suggest that is true.

Just how many Americans are going to vote by mail in the election? And how can they make sure their votes count?

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5

Kathryn Fink
Kathryn Fink is a producer with NPR's All Things Considered.