Virtual Elections in the Time of COVID-19

The presidential campaign seems to be unexpectedly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with only six months left until the presidential election in the U.S. on Nov. 3. The incumbent Republican president, Donald Trump, will run against the presumptive Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, Barack Obama’s former vice president. Biden became the presumptive nominee after winning an incredibly high number of delegates during the primaries who will vote at his party’s August convention.

But the usual crowds of people at campaign events or even at local elections have been curtailed amid the social lockdowns imposed by state governments to mitigate the spread of the virus. In view of this limitation, both campaigns have gone virtual.

Since Biden does not have the public and media exposure that Trump does, his campaign has had to jump into the virtual world. Though Biden doesn’t need to make a name for himself; his trajectory as a senator and vice president is well known and respected, and he has a rather positive personal image in the public’s opinion.

His image and his presence provide a sense of trust and security, moderation, expertise, honesty, humility and empathy – all qualities of a leader, and qualities that Trump lacks. Though his campaign has been shaken a bit by recent sexual harassment charges from a former Senate aide in the 1990s, remember that Trump faces 12 similar cases of sexual harassment that are similar or worse.

From his studio at his house in Delaware, his team organizes political rallies, interviews and video or streamed speeches on social networks like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. He also meets with donors, strategic and logistics teams, party leaders and other Democratic candidates, and members of the African American and Latino communities using video conferencing on Zoom.

This virtual platform substitutes for traditional live campaign activity like speeches at rallies, meetings, debates, bus tours, road trips and visits by Biden’s family.

As for Trump’s campaign, the president’s activities have the advantage of the media’s attention in real time. His daily press conferences about the COVID-19 situation are broadcast and streamed live.

In this way − and through Twitter − Trump communicates his activity, his positions, his anger, his lack of moderation and his arrogance. He also communicates reckless ideas about medicine, the economic recovery and ways to emerge from lockdown, while he also attacks China, immigrants, his opponents and the press. The media widely report on his visits to hospitals, supply factories and his public statements.

Some analysts, including a growing number of Republicans, believe that his daily efforts to show control of the situation may backfire on him. His February statements denying the pandemic and asserting that the country was ready for any contingency, the suggestion of using bleach or hydroxychloroquine to fight the virus, his insistence on opening the economy (contradicting his scientific advisers) and his public disagreements with state governors regarding the availability of medical supplies cause confusion and anxiety among people in the U.S.

Just like Biden, Trump makes great use of virtual platforms in his campaign.

At the moment, the most significant subjects for debate are related to the health and economic crisis produced by the pandemic. The Republicans stand for a voluntary, rapid and wide reopening, while the Democrats want it to be more gradual and cautious. The Democrats propose protecting the working class and injecting more money into the health care system and in the saving business, while the Republicans oppose these moves. To avoid talking about his administration’s poor response to COVID-19, Trump is blaming China for creating the pandemic and then keeping it secret.

Biden’s campaign is emphasizing how late, chaotic and incompetent the president’s initial response was, and how his comments on medications were irresponsible. Biden has also noted how weak and unprepared the health care system has been in controlling the virus.

Biden is proposing to expand national health care insurance established by Obama, whereas Trump wants to abolish it, which is difficult to explain in these times. Ultimately, the election may be a referendum on Trump and his record, which at the moment includes an economy that finds 30 million people unemployed, a recession where the economy is projected to contract by 5% this year, and nearly 100,000 deaths due to COVID-19.

What about virtual elections? The lockdown and the social distancing may force parties to rally and hold the presidential debates virtually. And we should not rule out the possibility of virtual elections or a combination of both in-person and virtual elections. Postponement is not an option.

If the spread and mortality rate of COVID-19 continue to grow, voting in person will come at great risk of infection for voters and election authorities. Email voting may be an alternative; it is already used in Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington. (Some 68% of the electorate trusts this way of voting.) But the parties are running up against the clock, because the states without alternative voting procedures lack the technological and human resources to set them up.

The other alternative is voting online; which is a method that has been questioned since there is no technology that has been tested and found capable of guaranteeing full security and integrity for the election.