Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mail-In Voting Debate Rages On Following Traditional Ideological Divide
Politico: Republicans And Democrats Barrel Toward Collision On Voting By Mail
Americans want to be able to vote by mail in November — but Democratic proposals to require it appear to be going nowhere fast in Congress. House Democrats have sought to drastically overhaul the American electoral system in light of the pandemic, arguing dramatic change is needed to allow Americans to vote safely. In a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted last weekend, nearly three-in-five voters nationwide said they either strongly or somewhat support a federal law that would mandate that states “provide mail-in ballots to all voters for elections occurring during the coronavirus pandemic.” Just a quarter of voters either somewhat or strongly oppose the idea, with the remainder not having an opinion. (Montellaro, 5/13)
FiveThirtyEight: How The Elections In Nebraska And Wisconsin Managed Amid The Pandemic
Tuesday marked the first major in-person elections in more than a month — and there were good reasons to be worried about whether they’d go safely and smoothly amid the coronavirus pandemic. Nebraska, which held its presidential and down-ballot primary elections, was one of just eight states never to issue a statewide stay-at-home order. And Wisconsin, which held a special election in the 7th Congressional District, was a site of chaos on April 7 when it held its presidential primary in person. But thankfully, it looks like both elections passed without major incident — and Nebraska’s was even a notable success. (Rakich, 5/13)
The Associated Press: In-Person Voting Rises In Wisconsin's 2nd Pandemic Election
A higher percentage of voters cast ballots in person, rather than mailing them in absentee during the second Wisconsin election held in just five weeks amid a stay-at-home order to prevent spread of the highly contagious coronavirus. It's another sign that people's fears about leaving home amid the pandemic may be waning, as both state and national polls show growing impatience about stay-at-home orders. Polls have also shown growing skepticism among Republicans to the orders. That could have played into the larger in-person turnout in Tuesday's special election for a congressional seat, which Republican state Sen. Tom Tiffany won by about 14 points over Democrat Tricia Zunker. (Bauer, 5/13)
The Washington Post: Voters Turned Up To Vote In Wisconsin Yesterday, In Spite Of Coronavirus
Betty Thompson could have voted absentee in the special congressional election held here on Tuesday. Her husband did. Her daughter did. So did many of her friends. But when it came time to cast her ballot in the state’s 7th Congressional District race, Thompson, 70, got in her car and went down to the Pilgrim Lutheran Church on the south side of this northern Wisconsin town, just as she has for every Election Day in recent memory. She wasn’t making a political statement in the age of covid-19. It wasn’t an act of rebellion. (Bailey, 5/13)
