In an unusual election marked by legal war over who can vote and how and repeat President Donald Trump’s presidents that postal voting is fraudulent, Democrats are turning their prime-time convention into a car of voter education.
“Amidst the excitement and enthusiasm for these elections, you have also heard about obstacles and misinformation and people making it harder for you to vote,” Sen said. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., At the beginning of Wednesday night’s convention. “We have to ask ourselves, why do they not want us to vote – why is there so much difficulty in silencing our voices? The answer is because when we vote, things change.”
Harris, the Democratic nominee for vice president, urged voters to calculate their vote this year: “Each of us needs a voting plan.”
Hillary Clinton later joined in when she spoke at the virtual convention.
“If you are voting by mail, ask for your vote now and send it back immediately,” she said during her address. “If you personally vote, do it early. Be an interviewer. Usually, no matter what, vote then.”
Former President Barack Obama has accused the president and Republicans of suppressing votes to stay in power.
“Here’s the point. This president and the people in power, those who benefit from keeping things the way they are, are counting on your cynicism,” he said. “They hope to make it as difficult as possible for you to vote and to convince them that your vote does not matter. They will win.”
The former president went on to say, early on: “Do not let them take away your power, do not let them take away your democracy. Now make a plan for how you will participate and vote. Do it as early as you can and tell your family and friends no matter what. “
Voting experts say voter education is critical to a successful 2020 election because electoral policies are changing so rapidly and so many voters are not familiar with voting by mail. Election officials who typically inform voters are overwhelmed and using resources.
“Even the most affluent and educated voters are fairly confused,” Wendy Weiser, vice president of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, told NBC News. “You can not transfer the voter education this year.”
Weiser said Trump’s inaccurate claims that sending posts would lead to significant voter fraud damage to public confidence in elections.
“The changes brought about by coronavirus have created the need for increased public education, but so has the wrong direction of the president and attempts to sow confusion,” she said.
Studies show that first-time voters and color voters are more likely to see their votes rejected than regular post-voters.
On Monday night, former First Lady Michelle Obama also urged voters to vote early and cautiously.
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“We need to vote early, personally, if we can. We need to request our mail-in votes today, tonight and send them back immediately and follow up to make sure they are received,” Obama said. “We need to vote for Joe Biden in figures that can not be ignored. Because at the moment, people who know they can not be honest and square at the ballot box are doing everything they can to stop us from voting. “