The coronavirus presents opportunities, some constructive, some potentially destructive. I marvel at the businesses that have innovated to meet needs during the pandemic. I also shake my head at how some use the crisis to further their agendas.
Some Arizona leaders now claim COVID-19 requires a fundamental change to our voting process, demanding every registered voter in the state receive a mail-in ballot. That may sound harmless on the surface, but consider the ramifications:
- All-mail elections are subject to fraud, including votes cast by ineligible voters
- It’s more complicated because of signature verification, reading machines, and process requirements
- It requires more manpower, making it susceptible to human error
- It’s more expensive
Arizona Representative Shawnna Bolick spells out the concern in a recent op-ed. Others suggest the focus should be on educating Arizonans about the system already in place to allow voters to sign up for the Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL). This mail-in voting option has many safeguards in place to protect the integrity of the election, including eligibility checks. It also keeps voters in control, not ideologues.
An article in Real Clear Politics gives a glimpse of what’s behind the drive for all-mail-voting nationwide. Far from a simple fix to ensure social distancing, the article points out the broad move pushed by House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi and others would:
- Weaken election integrity
- Move America away from a representative democracy and toward a direct democracy, which leaves the minority vulnerable to overreach by the majority
- Election results would be tied up in courts
Consider the knee-jerk reaction, the jump to unnecessarily change the process of something so critical as the election process. In the recent Democrat Presidential Preference Primary, Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes took it upon himself to unilaterally secure the decision by trying to send all registered voters their ballots by mail. Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich obtained a court order to stop him.
Arizona’s primary election is August 4th, more than three and a half months away. That is plenty of time for any Arizona voter to register for the Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL), study the ballot, make decisions, and return their ballots long before the deadline.
There is no rush, no critical circumstance demanding an agenda-driven emergency reaction that carries with it permanent consequences. We don’t know where COVID-19 will have Arizonans in three and a half months. If still at home, we can vote my mail if we prove our eligibility through the request of the PEVL system, not because a ballot willy-nilly showed up in our mailbox.
ICYMI
- The Heritage Foundation takes a closer look at voter fraud and other risks of all-mail elections.
- The Justice Department moved to protect religious freedom this week by taking action against a Mississippi city for fining congregants of a drive-in church.
- Public Discourse offers some moral guidance on prioritizing care during a pandemic.
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