Summary in Plain Language
This article discusses the current panic in the United States as the mid-term elections approach. The main concern is the fear of repeating the chaos that occurred during the 2020 presidential election: Trump is leading the effort to appeal to the Supreme Court, requesting strict regulations to limit mail voting, while the Democratic Party is doing everything possible to preserve the freedom of mail voting. Both sides have resorted to executive orders from the White House and repeated appeals in court, resulting in a complete mess of mail voting rules across the country. Many people worry that if one party loses the election, they might simply refuse to accept the results, leading to new street clashes. The argument between the two parties is not just about preventing fraud; deeper issues are at play. Mail voting has disrupted the electoral system that has been in place for many years and even eroded the public's respect for the election process.
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Detailed Explanation
1. The Fundamental Conflict Between the Parties Over Mail Voting
Many people think the debate is about fairness, but in reality, it's about their respective voter bases. Statistics clearly show that a much larger proportion of Democratic voters choose mail voting compared to Republicans. Democrats mainly consist of office workers with regular hours, college students, and minority groups who live in dispersed areas. These voters are either at work or taking care of children when the polls open, making it impossible for them to spend hours in line to vote in person. Mail voting provides them with a convenient way to cast their ballots. Republicans, on the other hand, are primarily elderly, conservative white residents from the suburbs who have more time and see in-person voting as a solemn and honorable experience. Therefore, Trump's call to "limit mail voting to prevent fraud" is essentially an attempt to cut into the opponent's voter base, a blatant attempt to cheat, not about fairness at all.
2. Trump's Claim That Mail Voting Is Prone to Fraud
Trump cites several issues with mail voting, such as ballots being bought or sold and lost in the mail. While such incidents have occurred, they are not widespread. After the 2020 election, dozens of states spent months reviewing ballots, and none found evidence of widespread fraud. The example he uses—10,000 primary ballots in Michigan being invalidated due to delayed delivery—is due to the poor performance of the U.S. postal system, which often loses or delays mail deliveries. He is using these isolated cases to create the illusion of a widespread risk, preparing the ground for claiming fraud if he loses the election.
3. The Real Consequences of Mail Voting
The widespread adoption of mail voting has changed the nature of elections. In the past, candidates had to appeal to the middle-of-the-road voters by outlining their policies, such as tax cuts and gun control, to win their support. With mail voting, candidates no longer need to care about these voters; they can simply mobilize their party's grassroots to register and vote for them. This means that even a mediocre candidate can win as long as they have a large number of supporters who are willing to vote. As a result, the focus has shifted from appealing to all voters to managing the voters within their own party.
4. The Chaotic State of U.S. Election Rules
The current election rules are in a state of chaos. The Trump administration issued an executive order to create a list of eligible voters for mail ballots, but the task was too large to complete before the election. Some states have already sent out ballots, only for a court ruling to change the rules mid-way, deciding that late ballots are valid. Whether the ballots sent by ordinary citizens will be counted depends on the Supreme Court's decision at the last moment. If one party loses, they could claim that hundreds of thousands of ballots are invalid, potentially leading to similar unrest as at the Capitol in 2020.
5. The Hidden Damage of Mail Voting
Mail voting has also destroyed the solemnity of the election process. Traditionally, voting was a national ceremony where people took time to vote in person, creating a sense of importance. With mail voting, the process has become casual: voters can vote from home, and the excitement around the election fades over months. Over time, people may start to view voting as a mundane task, and the legitimacy of the election process could be questioned if one party wins but the other refuses to accept the results.
In summary, the conflict over mail voting reflects deeper conflicts between the parties regarding their voter bases and the fundamental nature of the electoral system. The chaos created by mail voting threatens the integrity of the election process and the public's respect for it.