Those urging the expansion of mail-in voting in Louisiana during the Nov. 3 presidential election expect the secretary of state to call for some emergency measures in the coming week in light of the coronavirus emergency.
Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin has yet to decide whether the COVID-19 pandemic will require expanded mail-in ballot options in the November election. An emergency election plan in place for this month’s municipal general election extended early voting by six days due to virus concerns.
“Next Wednesday, SOS is expected to propose an emergency plan for the November election,” Annalise Vidrine, a spokeswoman for Louisiana Vote-By-Mail, told the Louisiana Record in an email. “In this plan, we demand that no-excuse vote-by-mail should be an option for all Louisiana residents.”
Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin
The Vote-By-Mail group describes itself as a nonpartisan alliance of students, community groups and activists that favors unrestricted mail-in balloting in Louisiana. Vote-by-mail efforts have been the topic of litigation nationwide during the coronavirus pandemic as Americans debate the safety of in-person voting and fraud concerns about mail-in voting.
“We at Louisiana Vote-By-Mail believe that Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin should prioritize the health of Louisiana residents by implementing measures to ensure safe voting during the ongoing pandemic,” Vidrine said.
Such steps could include allowing vote-by-mail drop boxes, expanded early voting and the hand delivery of mail-in ballots while the spread of the COVID-19 virus remains a concern, she said.
“Any or all of these steps would allow voters to more safely cast their ballots this November, and we hope the SOS takes these steps into consideration when making the emergency election plan,” Vidrine said.
In a recent news release, Louisiana Vote-By-Mail calls the state an epicenter of the pandemic and warns that a shortage of poll workers and a consolidation of polling precincts could disenfranchise voters in November.
For this weekend’s general municipal election in Louisiana, the emergency plan allowed voters to send in COVID-19 absentee ballot applications that list five more reasons to get such a ballot beyond the reasons that Louisiana law currently allows, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.