Voting and Social Crises in America

Voting and societal crises in America

Voting and societal crises in America is one of the most important topics of the 2022 elections, which has inherited its sensitivities and controversies from the 2020 elections. The 2020 elections and the special circumstances of the COVID-19 era provided the grounds for the expansion of absentee and early voting in many states by officials in order to reduce the risk of virus spread.

Donald Trump, who was aware of his precarious electoral situation months before the elections, began questioning the results and declared that absentee voting is a tool for his enemies’ fraud. Other Republicans also followed Trump’s stance to some extent and caused serious doubts among their supporters and voters about the structure of absentee and early voting in the past elections.

As a result, Trump supporters preferred to vote on the day of the elections to the maximum extent possible. On the other hand, in many states, the grounds for absentee and early voting had been provided even several weeks before the official election day.

The possibility and advantage of voting by mail or in person on a day other than the official election day is highly important for citizens in many areas and for various social and economic groups in America. Voting on the official election day, which is always on a Tuesday as mandated by law, is simply not feasible for many Americans.

The middle class and poor Americans, who often have multiple jobs and do not have the opportunity to leave work and stand in long voting lines, are deprived of their citizenship right to vote if they do not take time off and lose their hourly wages. Early and mail-in voting provides an opportunity for civic participation and exercising their rights. This is particularly important for racial minorities.

The direct result of Trump’s unwarranted doubts about the health and legality of absentee, mail-in, and early voting, like all of his behaviors, created a merciless polarization between Democrats and Republicans. Most Democrats took advantage of the opportunity to vote outside the official election day and avoid physical presence in crowded polling stations, which posed a risk of contracting COVID-19. Most Republicans, on the other hand, made their way to the ballot boxes on Tuesday to cast their votes.

According to many experts, Trump’s action in the election was considered one of his biggest betrayals. Republicans in states like Pennsylvania took advantage of controlling the state legislature to prevent the counting of mail-in and absentee ballots in the days leading up to the official election day. This caused a significant delay in the vote count and marked the beginning of Trump’s election coup attempt.

This year, in the 2022 elections, the issue of mail-in and absentee voting remains a significant concern. Trump-backed candidates continue to cast doubt on the voting process and ballot counting. Interestingly, in the preliminary competition among Republicans in many areas, a fascinating duality occurred. Supporters of Trump’s extremist candidates outnumbered supporters of moderate Republican candidates, who were against early and absentee voting, and stood in line for the official election day.

Although COVID-19 has been restricted in some way, its spread continues, and other diseases are also prevalent. Economic and livelihood problems are increasing, and many people do not have the opportunity to take time off work to vote. There are ample opportunities for citizens in many states to vote and exercise their citizenship rights. These dualities and divisions have not disappeared and are intensifying.

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