Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Even Before Pandemic, Mail-In-Voting Was On The Rise. A Look At How It Became Controversial Again.
NPR: Vote By Mail: Ballot Fraud Risk, State Laws And Trump's Claims
Casting a ballot by mail isn't a new way to vote, but it is getting fresh attention as the coronavirus pandemic upends daily life. The voting method is quickly becoming the norm and quickly becoming politically charged, as some Republicans — and specifically President Trump — fight against the mail voting expansion that is happening nationwide. (Parks, 6/4)
The Wall Street Journal: Companies Push For More Access To Mail-In Voting
More than 100 companies have signed an initiative asking congressional leaders to provide additional federal funding so that state and local governments can expand mail-in voting to all eligible voters and extend early, in-person voting by two weeks. Corporations ranging from consumer-goods giant Unilever to eyewear maker Warby Parker are among the signatories. Some of the companies banding together to try to expand voting access were also part of a push earlier this year to give workers time off to vote in the 2020 presidential election. (Cutter, 6/3)
The Wall Street Journal: D.C. Lets Voters Submit Ballots By Email After Mail Problems
The Washington, D.C., Board of Elections, inundated with complaints from voters who said they didn’t receive absentee ballots in the mail, created an unusual workaround for Tuesday’s primary: allowing voters to submit ballots by email. That conflicts with security recommendations typically given by experts, but one local official said she thought it was worth the risk given the unusual circumstances. “I guess there are Russian hackers that can do anything, but I doubt they’re really concerned with the Ward 2 D.C. election,” said Councilmember Elissa Silverman. (Corse, 6/3)
The Hill: Poll: Nearly Half Of Americans 'Uncomfortable' Voting In Person During Pandemic
A majority of Americans say they'd be comfortable voting in person during the coronavirus pandemic, though deep divides remain over the issue, a new Hill-HarrisX poll finds. Fifty-three percent of registered voters said they would feel "somewhat" or "very" comfortable voting in person, compared to 47 percent who said they'd be uncomfortable. (6/3)
In other election news —
The Washington Post Fact Check: How Specific Were Biden’s Recommendations On The Coronavirus?
In various venues, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee has cited a preliminary Columbia University study that estimated that tens of thousands fewer people would have died of covid-19 if social-distancing measures had been put in place earlier than mid-March. Specifically, the study estimated that orders in effect March 8 would have resulted in nearly 36,000 fewer deaths (through May 3), and orders as soon as March 1 would have resulted in nearly 54,000 fewer deaths. (Kessler, 6/4)
Boston Globe: Joe Biden Already Was Under Pressure To Pick A Black Woman Running Mate. The Outrage Over George Floyd’s Death Adds To It
Influential Black political organizers and activists are ramping up pressure on presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden to select a Black woman as his vice presidential running mate after days of national unrest over police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. (Ulloa, 6/3)
