A Pew Research Study conducted in August found that nearly half of American voters are approaching this year’s presidential election with uncertainty due to the combination of the pandemic and a fear of cyber attacks.
Generally, during election season there is a slew of misinformation and disinformation, but this year, the spread of false information has been especially severe, particularly around COVID-19. It’s therefore no surprise that our data shows an uptick in residents’ unease about various issues relating to the election and voting in practically all of the 160+ cities and counties we work with across the US. We crunched the data to identify top concerns amongst Americans this year, including: (1) conversations around early voting; (2) debates about requirements for mail-in or absentee ballots; (3) fear of fraud and claims that voting in-person is the only way to prevent voter fraud; and (4) confusion amongst voters regarding drop box usage and locations as well as irregularities at the polls.
With early voting underway in several states, we’ve already seen these top concerns stemming from resident discourse substantiated. In Texas, where early voting was opened on Oct 13, eager voters waited in line for hours due to varying issues. In one Texas County, the long lines were caused due to a poll worker testing positive for COVID-19, forcing the County to temporarily shut down three early voting locations. In other parts of the State, the long wait times were attributed to inexperienced poll workers, a common theme this year as COVID-19 created a need for more volunteers than ever before.
Although the situation is not ideal, local governments are none-the-less rising to the occasion. We’ve highlighted some of the best work being done to address the concerns our data flagged. Here are a few of the counties and cities out there promoting voter education, encouraging voter participation through new avenues, and recruiting additional poll workers in the face of COVID-19 and voter trepidation:
With an unparalleled election well underway, the ability to listen to your residents’ concerns and address them as best as possible is essential, as seen in the examples above. See how Zencity can help you manage any election in your city or county.