We need to learn from the 2020 elections. Audrey Perry Martin writes:
The last thing anyone wanted in 2020 was a complicated post-presidential election debacle. Unfortunately, a combination of factors created a perfect storm for election chaos this year, and we are suffering in its aftermath.
Although the litigation, audits, and recounts are far from over, several lessons have emerged that, if implemented, could help avoid similar problems in future close races.
First, states should require all absentee ballots be due by the close of polls on Election Day. (Not including military and overseas ballots, which are usually a small number.) This has been the cause of one of the biggest battles of the past few weeks, and litigation is likely to continue.
It is understandable to want to count every mail-in ballot by Election Day, but it is just not practical. “Elections must end sometime, a single deadline supplies clear notice, and requiring ballots be in by Election Day puts all voters on the same footing,” stated Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch in his concurring opinion to reject a trial court ruling that would have extended Wisconsin’s deadline to receive absentee ballots.
[Audrey Perry Martin, "Here Are the Lessons We’ve Learned So Far From the 2020 Election,” The Daily Signal, November 12]
