Democracy Matters - Episode 34: Is Vote by Mail the Solution to Safe, Accessible Elections?

Amidst the COVID-19 public health crisis, many are pondering how we can have safe, secure elections this year while also ensuring access. In this episode, we talk with Michael Pfeifer, a voting rights and political law attorney who says the key is to vote by mail.  “The USPS has got this,” says Pfeifer.

Pfeifer, a 2015 graduate of UVA Law, has represented political candidates at the federal and state levels, including presidential candidates, and has consulted on and drafted state ballot initiatives related to election laws. He currently represents a number of national nonprofits that are part of a bipartisan effort to expand the use of Vote at Home (universal Vote by Mail) election systems and voter outreach platforms around the country.

Links in this episode:

• Apply to Vote by Mail in Virginia
• Virginia Democrats Advance Bill To Make Absentee Voting Easier
• Top Two Primary System in California
• Voting Super Centers
• National Vote at Home Institute Elections Officials Operational Toolkit

Discussion Questions:

• How does vote-by-mail affect political and civic engagement? 
• What can states do to ensure safe and secure elections? 
• What are the implications of the politicization of the USPS for vote-by-mail this election year?
• What are barriers to amending the Constitution to ensure a universal right to vote? Should the right to vote be protected under the First Amendment? 
• How does the manipulation of legislative district lines affect American elections?