Pandemic shows a better, safer system of voting needed

What will Wisconsin’s election look like? It will most likely be a mess, with both political parties likely to cry foul. Wisconsin’s presidential preference and spring primary election is coming up on Tuesday. There are plenty of troubling signs things won’t go well. Our elected officials in Madison have gone back and forth about possibly moving the election, or adopting a mail-in vote plan. It is too late for either of those scenarios. So people are being asked to go to the polls, despite the current safer at home order. Is it really a good idea to encourage people to spend time close together in large groups? Local clerks are doing there best to plan for that, with hand sanitizer and gloves, and not sharing pens to mark the ballot. There are reports of fewer volunteer poll workers. In some areas, not all usual polling sites will be open because of a lack of volunteers. That means even more crowds at those which are open. The Mayor of Milwaukee is encouraging voters to skip this election for the sake of their health. This is why we need a new system of voting for future elections. One which allows us to vote from home, either through the mail or the internet. We shouldn’t force people to choose between protecting their health and exercising their democratic rights.