Vote-By-Mail

"Every vote is going to matter here, as it's excruciatingly close here, as it always is," says Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin, one of the most critical of battleground states this fall. If presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins every electoral vote Hillary Clinton did in 2016 – and picks up Pennsylvania and Michigan – he'd still lose by two electoral votes without also capturing Wisconsin. Heck contends that Republicans are trying to suppress the vote to keep battleground Wisconsin in the GOP column this fall. "This is a dog-eat-dog state. The Republicans in this state have shown they will do anything and everything – they will manipulate (the process) and do whatever they need to do to help Trump," Heck says. Democrats believe their voters are more affected, since young, low-income and minority voters tend to move more often, making them more likely to have their residency questioned.

The need for meaningful community engagement is not limited to decisions about in-person polling places. Effective policymaking requires this kind of engagement for the entire slate of reforms needed for safe and healthy voting in November, from expanded early-voting options to full language access. No voter should risk their health in order to exercise their fundamental right to cast a ballot. But if we do not preserve in-person voting, we will risk the health of our democracy.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) joined Common Cause experts and members, and journalists in a town hall webinar to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this year’s elections and the preparations that must be made, and precautions taken, to safeguard our democracy.

Concerned about the impact of the novel coronavirus on the 2020 election, states are scrambling to dramatically increase mail-in voting. CNN's Marshall Cohen speaks with Common Cause's Sylvia Albert and others who explain what that means for you.