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Charlotte Talks Politics: Will The Mailbox Be The New Ballot Box? What A Pandemic Does To Voting

Nadya Peek / Flickr

Monday, March 30, 2020

How will the coronavirus change the way America votes? Many states are looking to expand voting-by-mail.

The pandemic has practically ground the 2020 election to a halt. Eleven states have postponed their presidential primaries. It will early June before many states rejoin the Democratic presidential race.

One of those states, Ohio, just approved a change to its primary, which will now be carried out completely by absentee ballots sent in the mail.

North Carolina’s elections board has asked lawmakers for help making sure elections can continue, including support for county elections offices for an anticipated surge in voting-by-mail.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate’s recently-passed stimulus bill included $400 million targeted for elections.

Has the coronavirus exposed cracks in the election infrastructre? What measures are needed to shore it up?

GUESTS

Gerry Cohen, Wake County Board of Elections member, former legislative counsel for the North Carolina General Assembly (@gercohen)

Tammy Patrick, Democracy Fund, elections program senior adviser (@aztammyp)

Myrna Perez, Brennan Center for Justice, director of Brennan's Voting Rights and Elections Program (@myrna_perez_)

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A veteran of Charlotte radio news, Chris joined the "Charlotte Talks" staff in January 2016, but has been listening to WFAE since discovering the station as a high schooler.