Westlake Word

The coronavirus pandemic is all that seems to be on the news lately.  When people turn on their TV or open up their phone, they are bombarded with new information coming out about the virus.  This can be very overwhelming for many people.  However, just a few months ago, all the news outlets were focused on the 2020 election and the Democratic primaries.  As the elections are talked about less due to the coronavirus, they are drastically impacted.

 

History is filled with elections shaped by bigger events, such as the 1968 presidential election, when the Vietnam War and civil rights issues seemed to reveal some major issues in the country, and the 1944 election, when the threat of Nazi Germany and Japanese attacks loomed over everyone’s heads and eventually mobilized the war effort. 

 

Campaigning in person and holding rallies is the main way that candidates campaign for office.  However, coronavirus has put these rallies to a screeching halt, as well as impacted the way candidates interact with voters, how they raise money, and how they interact with their opponents. 

 

This has impacted both the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and the Republican National Convention (RNC). The Democrats are wary of holding theirs in July as planned and are looking into hosting the convention in other ways, while President Trump insists that the RNC goes on as planned in August, which could have disastrous results. 

 

Both President Trump and Vice President Biden seem to be holding off on having any in person campaign events until the virus subsides. What this has done is push the election and campaigns into the digital world.  Politicians such as Presidential candidate Joe Biden are trying to communicate and engage with voters through virtual rallies and campaign videos.

 

The coronavirus has also overshadowed many important issues that usually would be a focus campaign like this one, such as healthcare, the environment, immigration, and gun control, with issues such as public health and safety, the economic downturn, and the surge in unemployment. This race is now based primarily on the preparation for and response to the crisis by leaders across the country, especially President Trump.

 

The virus is also having a huge impact on the way people can vote in the election.  Some states, such as Wisconsin, are still holding in person elections, but have put in place protective social distancing guidelines. However, by still holding elections in person, the elderly and immunosuppressed populations may not want to put themselves in danger by venturing out of their homes to vote, even with social distancing measures. 

 

In addition, polling sites are run by predominantly elderly volunteers.  During Michigan’s primary, many polling sites were closed because many volunteers were unwilling to put themselves in danger during this outbreak.  Because of this, the country is being forced to look into vote-by-mail and absentee balloting options to help protect the safety of the general public. 

 

Several states have delayed their primaries to the fall. President Trump has expressed his dislike of mail-in voting because he believes that it increases the likelihood of voter fraud, and he believes that Democrats will benefit from an increase in voter turnout.  

 

However, polling experts say that by switching to mail-in voting, there is no evidence that this causes a state to move more Democratic or Republican, and that there is no increase in voter fraud.

 

It seems like the virus is going to shrink the duration of the election season significantly, and it already has.  

 

The United States seems to be moving towards a shorter, British style election, with their six-week general election sprints.  Even if Trump and Biden are able to campaign in person come fall, they may be facing grim crowds of people just emerging from the country’s worst pandemic in over a century.