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The coronavirus has put large parts of our lives on hold, but there’s one event it won’t delay. On Nov. 3, about 230 million Americans will be eligible to vote in what has been predicted to be the highest-turnout election in decades.
“More than anything, it’s important that our democratic institutions continue,” says John Hishta, AARP’s senior vice president for campaigns. “At the end of the day, this election is going to take place in the middle of a crisis and it’s important that we give voters an opportunity to vote.”
AARP offices across the country have been working with state and local election officials throughout the primary season, during which many contests have been postponed because of concerns over holding a traditional election while needing to maintain social distancing. AARP is also reaching out to members and all older adults to communicate any new rules and procedures that will be put in place to accommodate the safeguards needed during the pandemic.
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“We’ve already seen that some states that had restrictive absentee ballot laws are starting to ease those a little bit, and we’re going to continue to push for those restrictions to be lifted,” Hishta said.
For example, in Nebraska — one of the few states going ahead with its regularly scheduled primary, on Tuesday — AARP successfully persuaded the governor to send all voters an application for an absentee ballot and waged an education campaign to help older residents learn about this method of requesting a ballot and returning it.
“We reached out to our population to say this is an option; it’s the healthiest option, so please go ahead and send in your request form so you can get an absentee ballot mailed to you,” said Todd Stubbendieck, AARP Nebraska state director. A similar education campaign will be waged for the fall balloting.
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