PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island was given a grade of C for its preparedness for voting by mail in a pandemic by the Brookings Institution Thursday.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many have wondered if the U.S. can conduct a safe election in November. What we know is this: The safest and most secure way to vote in a pandemic is vote-by-mail,” Brookings said, citing recent long lines at polling stations, technology issues and an influx of absentee ballot requests.
Brookings noted that it was not judging the best voting practices outside of a pandemic, only evaluating the ease of voting by mail in a pandemic.
Critics of vote-by-mail practices, including President Donald Trump, say the practice could increase voter fraud, however, another Brookings Institute study from June found that mail-in-ballot fraud is not common.
The report graded states on several metrics, including the distribution of applications of absentee ballots, requirements for filing by mail, submission requirements such as postmark date, channels of submission and others.
Six states and Washington, D.C., earned an A in the study, while two states received failing grades.
Rhode Island earned only seven out of a possible 22 total points. The Ocean State earned points for not requiring an excuse for a vote-by-mail application, not requiring a witness signature on the ballot, and for having mail and in-person voting channels available.
The state lost out on additional points for not having universal vote-by-mail; not having all registered voters receiving applications for vote-by-mail; submission standards, which measures when a vote had to be submitted to count; and not having vote drop-off boxes.
Other New England state grades in the report:
- Massachusetts: B
- Maine: C
- Vermont: C
- Connecticut: D
- New Hampshire: D
It’s disappointing that there doesn’t appear to be a plan to mail out ballots to all for the fall elections, or to waive the 2 witness/notary requirement. We are putting voters at risk in this pandemic and making it difficult for people to exercise their right to vote, either to “save money” or avoid fraud (which hasn’t been shown to be a problem). I’m disappointed in our legislators for not taking action on this.