14
Jack Sanford
Introduction
Is it worth risking the health of you and those around you to exercise your constitutional right to vote? Health and state government officials have been working closely to develop ways in which people can effectively vote while also maintaining safe protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In order to adequately social distance and curb the spread of COVID-19, various tactics have been implemented throughout the early stages of the voting process. Tactics such as social distancing in line, less voting locations, and a lack of poll workers willing to work during a pandemic creates hazards in the ability for everyone in the United States to secure their right to vote. New research and technology with regard to COVID-19 and voting has created solutions to the difficult task of ensuring that everyone can vote safely. Plexiglass barriers, required masks in line, sanitation, styluses, and protective dividers are all ways in which state officials are attempting to prevent the spread while voting in person before or on Election Day. Following in depth research as to how the virus spreads, states have also enacted new legislation that extended the early or absentee voting period and issued Covid-19 as a valid excuse in order to request a mail in ballot. COVID-19 is a dangerous and deadly disease; the process of hundreds of millions of Americans voting collectively is daunting throughout this time, yet new technologies and research has allowed officials to effectively implement tactics to help curb the spread and save countless lives.
Connection to STS Theory
Issues That Arise Voting During a Pandemic
Throughout the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wisconsin primary election proved how dangerous and serious the spread of the virus could be with in person voting. Not enough was known about the virus in April of 2020 in order to implement safe methods of reducing the spread of COVID-19 while also protecting each individual’s right to vote. According to the article “What Democracy Looks Like: Protecting Voting Rights in the US during the COVID-19 Pandemic” written and published by the Human Rights Watch organization Wisconsin officials decided to “reduce the standard 180 polling places” which in turn created longer lines and a larger portion of people attempting to vote at fewer polling precincts. Wisconsin officials also failed to implement effective social distancing and mask laws leaving people susceptible to contracting the virus while voting in person (Human Rights Watch, 2020). This failure to adequately prevent the possibility of contracting the COVID-19 virus while voting in person proved detrimental to the health of Wisconsin citizens. Following the primary, The National Bureau of Economic Research published an essay in which they used extensive scientific research to calculate the exact number of cases that stemmed directly from voting in person. This bureau analyzed phone records in order to trace people’