Voting by mail worked for Kentucky so let’s make it permanent

Despite predictions of chaos, Kentucky had a high turnout primary election in June. It was far from perfect – especially in Lexington – but more than a million voters cast ballots, the highest rate of turnout since 2008.

More than 800,000 of those votes were cast by mail, a safe alternative that means smaller crowds and reduced risk for those who vote in person. “Kentucky,” said The Daily Beast, “shows what a sane COVID-19 primary looks like.”

We’ve both been fighting for years to remove barriers to voting and expand civic participation. Our question now: Will Kentucky have a sane — and safe — COVID-19 general election in November?

Not necessarily. First, two mechanisms that drove high turnout — no excuse absentee voting by mail and early voting — were made possible by an emergency order that expired once the primary was over.

Second, democracy isn’t cheap. As The Herald-Leader recently reported, the costs for safe voting during a pandemic add up quickly: “…costs for printing mail-in ballots and postage… costs to ensure in-person voting is safe with personal protective equipment… training for new workers. Pricey machines are needed to quickly count the vote.”

Machines to rapidly process and count mail ballots are already in place in Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and Utah, where elections are now conducted almost entirely by mail. These investments in the infrastructure of democracy are reaping good returns, with higher voter turnout and reliable results.

The alternative is horribly expensive: An election where votes aren’t counted because of undelivered mail ballots, overcrowded and unsafe polling places, or a shortage of personnel and equipment.

It’s a certainty, based on a long history of exclusion, that voting problems will hit hardest on disenfranchised communities. At a time when a solid majority of Americans agree that Black Lives Matter, can we also agree that Black votes matter?

To have a safe, accessible election for everyone in November, we need urgent action in Frankfort— and Washington DC.

Congress must appropriate funds to help Kentucky and other states meet the expenses required for safe voting. The HEROES Act, passed by the House in May, includes $3.6 billion for this purpose. The bill has been awaiting action ever since in the Senate.

Kentucky’s antiquated voting laws, meanwhile, require a permanent fix. It’s time to make voting by mail a permanent reform. Elected officials must respond to their constituents and meet the overwhelming demand for safe, secure voting options.

But the Kentucky legislature is not scheduled to meet again until January 2021. That puts the ball squarely before Democratic Governor Andy Beshear and Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams. Under Kentucky law, the two must agree on emergency changes in election procedures.

For the primary, Beshear and Adams rose to the occasion with a bipartisan plan for safe elections. Without political polarization, informing voters about new processes was smoother than in other states. “People trust the rules,” Adams said, “when both sides agree to them.”

Beshear is on record in favor of no-excuse absentee voting and early voting in November. Adams is still thinking about it. While he’s thinking, voting rights advocates have filed a lawsuit, asking Kentucky courts to allow expanded voting options in November.

During the most severe public health crisis of our lifetimes, this one is a no-brainer. Whether by court ruling or bipartisan emergency order, Kentucky’s November elections should operate under the same rules that helped more people participate in June. Come next year, the state legislature needs to make those rules permanent. Voting should always be as safe and secure as possible

Cunningham, a civil rights activist since he was a teenager, is president of the Louisville Branch of the NAACP, and a member of the national NAACP board of directors. Fields is executive director of the Democracy Initiative, a coalition of 75 labor, environment and civic organizations representing over 45 million people.