Voting, But How?

Republicans dispute many aspects of mail-in voting in key states, paving the way for a disagreement over the result on Nov. 5.

Although America is three weeks away from choosing a new president, mail-in voting is already causing tension on both sides. Nov. 5 is officially the last day that votes can be cast, but the reality is that millions will have already cast their votes through mail-in voting or by voting early. In 2020, Donald Trump didn’t hesitate to label this kind of voting, which soared in popularity due to the pandemic, as “election fraud.”

The Republican candidate has since toned it down, but again this year there is a wave of lawsuits paving the way for a dispute against the final result. Unsurprisingly, this is happening in the famous swing states, which are likely to sway the vote — and which are most likely to vote early. Unsealed envelopes, incorrect postmarks, forged signatures and later corrections: There will be countless accusations. Nevada, for example, allows all ballots to be counted as long as they are received no later than four days after Election Day, yet another interesting practice that adds fuel to the fire.

It can be hoped that if the Democrats lose, they will accept the outcome. But nothing is less certain on the Republican side, where the prospect of another assault on the Capitol still haunts minds. There is no doubt that mail-in voting will be called into question, as well as voting machines at polling sites in some states, which recently appeared in the news again.

At a famous hacker convention in Las Vegas, America’s top hacker found flaws in the system that couldn’t be repaired before Nov. 5. In a time of end-of-campaign gloom, perhaps this is too much bad news.