Voting in the Time of the Coronavirus

Voting in the Time of the Coronavirus

Could Donald Trump, who in the past has “joked” about staying in office past his term, use covid-19 to subvert the electoral process? A recent piece in Slate lays out a frightening scenario where Trump could, in essence, hijack the Electoral College. Richard L. Hasen, a law [Chancellor’s] Professor at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of “Election Meltdown,” told me that, in such a scenario, “there would be rioting in the streets.” The next general election is on November 3rd. Insuring free, fair, and safe elections will require providing everyone the ability to vote without having to step into the public sphere. Hasen’s solution is to give voters the option—though not the obligation—to vote by mail.