Page 170 - Conducting Elections during COVID-19

152 INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF CONDUCTING ELECTIONS DURING COVID-19

United States

The Presidential Primary Elections

The United States Election Assistance Commission has issued comprehensive guidelines for COVID-19
protection for the stakeholders in election process. The US presidential election is scheduled for 3rd
November, 2020. The series of presidential primary elections and caucuses are being conducted from
February to August, 2020. Some states postponed primary elections and enhanced the mail vote,
absentee ballot and early voting options for polling. Other states have continued to hold in-person
elections amid the COVID-19 pandemic, taking various measures to safeguard the health of voters and
election workers.
COVID-19 pandemic has made it essential to explore options to increase vote by mail opportunities.
More voters are using the option for mail ballots across the country Voting by Mail/Absentee Voting is
also essential part of the elections process for citizens away from home, such as military and overseas
voters. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP)
and the United States Postal Service (USPS) are working in in tandem to ensure the entire process of
voting by mail/absentee voting operates smoothly and efficiently. The COVID-19 specific resources
and other resources have been defined to help election officials identify procedures, strategies, and
policies for ensuring mail ballots get cast and counted, and all election-related materials that help
citizens cast these ballots are delivered in a timely manner. They include

• Preliminary Planning for Increased Voting by Mail/Absentee Voting Capacity - COVID-19 Potential
Response
• Preliminary Planning for Increased Voting by Mail/Absentee Voting Capacity - COVID-19 Potential
Response
• Improving Communications for Increased Voting by Mail/Absentee Voting - COVID-19 Potential
Response
• Handling Increased Absentee and Mail Voting at the County Level - COVID-19 Potential Response
• Handling Absentee Ballot Requests for Increased Voting by Mail

• Emergency Election Laws and COVID-19
US Election Assistance Commission Voting Process

Guidelines Amid COVID-19

The EAC believes in the premise that the Election officials are contingency planners by nature and they
have to make sure that elections are accessible, secure, and accurate, and that voters are safe. The U.S.
Election Assistance Commission (EAC) offers clearing house facilities in collaboration with their federal
partner
partners to the election officials and voters to address s to the election officials and voters to address
their concerns regarding
the novel coronavirus
and COVID-19. Federal
partners and election
officials then compile
and offer resources. The
Federal Resources on
safe voting include: GCC
and SCC.