For the 2020 Presidential election, many of us had to vote in an unprecedented way. Rather than heading to the polling places on Election Day, thousands of Americans made the decision to utilize a mail-in voting strategy. This uprise of mail-in voters is due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Mail-in voting is arguably the safest way to get your vote in for this election, as it minimizes the risk of contracting the virus.

However, since the pandemic is highly politicized, conservatives have taken it upon themselves to scrutinize mail-in voting as a whole. Their main claim is that it is fraudulent and that votes will easily get lost using this method. President Donald J. Trump has announced to the country multiple times, through Twitter and through public tangents, that mail-in votes are fake and that they will somehow rig the election. His claims are extremely harmful, as many working-class Americans have enough trouble as is to get to their local polling place, let alone get there in the middle of a pandemic. Many American citizens cannot afford to miss a day of work or potentially contract the virus, and so mailing their votes is the safest option. Therefore, Trump’s claims are extremely ignorant and outright false. Mail-in votes are valid, and they are the safest, most convenient way to vote this year.

I really appreciated John Oliver’s speech about mail-in voting, as he echoed all of my thoughts. He explained that each and every one of us has the right to vote, even in the middle of a pandemic. Oliver did an amazing job at explaining the voter fraud cries regarding mail-in ballots, as voter fraud has never actually been that large of an issue, to begin with.

It is well-known that not enough eligible voters actually use their right to vote in America. It is crucial that we all encourage voting, whether it be mail-in or in-person.

Stay safe, and happy voting!