Opinion ID: 4580297
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Health Crisis

Text: [¶34] The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis, the likes of which we have not seen since the 1918 influenza pandemic. In the U.S. we have experienced over 7 million cases and 215,000 deaths, with a projected uptick this fall and winter season. This spring, the governor postponed the state’s primary due to concerns for the health of voters, poll workers, and election officials. The Secretary of State encouraged voters to vote by absentee ballot, stating that he was recommending that Maine voters use the absentee voting process to maintain social distancing measures, mitigate the outbreak, and vote from the safety of their homes. In the delayed July primary, 55% of voters voted absentee, whereas history tells us that no more than 10% ever voted absentee. Of those absentee votes, 35% were by mail. [¶35] The COVID-19 pandemic is still among us. By mid-September, Maine’s coronavirus cases were trending upward, leading the Governor to extend the state of emergency for the sixth time. Maine citizens are requesting ballots for the November general election at a record-shattering pace. As of mid-September, nearly 200,000 Maine citizens had already requested absentee ballots. 25 [¶36] Even if the only issue were the increased number of people voting absentee by mail, this by itself would undoubtedly create problems for Maine’s ballot collecting process; however, the health crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is compounded by serious difficulties with the postal service’s ability to deliver mail on time.