After the pandemic, other traditions may also fade into memory
It’s still too early to declare the final results of the 2020 elections, but there are at least a few things that we know will never be the same again, even before we get to November.
The conventions
While the country wrestles with the coronavirus, both the Republican and Democratic national conventions will look different than in years past. It’s simply unsafe for large groups to gather in close proximity indoors. But conventions will never look the same again, even when the threat of COVID-19 fades away. Before the global pandemic, there was plenty of skepticism about the need for a full, four-day, four-night, in-person event. It felt like the conventions were more creatures of habit rather than necessity. Now that the habit’s broken, arguing for the need to go back will be even more difficult.
Voting
States and localities are expanding vote-by-mail options in response to the coronavirus to help assure voters that it’s not necessary to risk their health to cast a ballot. When the coronavirus disappears, it will be difficult to roll back those expansions and changes. It could happen with a change in power, but that will also require explaining why votes can only be cast on a single day in specific locations for a limited number of hours, rather than when the voter has time to fill out and return the ballot in the days or weeks before Election Day. Continue reading.