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voting
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03/30/2020
Jeanie and Edward Lehew Oral History, 2020/03/30
This is interview from Edward and Jeannie Lehew focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic experience in the United States. The Lehews, both born in the 1930s, provide an enriching interview connecting the current pandemic to past historical and personal events ranging from the Great Depression to the loss of an infant grandchild. The Lehews detail many personal life experiences and offer their opinions on the current political and healthcare issues in the United States by explaining how the current presidential administration is at fault for the lack of medical supplies in America. -
2021-05-06
Lian McMillan Oral History, 2021/05/06
Self Description: “I’m a 21-year-old musician. I just recently graduated from U[niversity] of T[oronto] a week ago, and I graduated with a classical percussion degree. I play for a band called cutsleeve. We’re a group of east Asian, queer sound musicians. I’m a mixed race woman, my father is white, and my mother is Chinese. I’ve lived in Canada, the [United] States, and I lived in Shanghai for a few years. I’m a dog owner.” -
2021-03-07
A Few Changes To My City's Mayoral Election
Early December 2020, a local election was held in my city for mayor (and deputy mayor). We didn’t pick between candidates, but between a candidate and an empty candidate box. So, no one else was running against the candidate, but we still had to vote. Apparently this was the first time in the city's history that there was an empty candidate box. This wasn’t my first time voting, but it was my first time voting during a pandemic. I didn’t have to go, and neither did any of the members of my neighborhood community. Like always, we would be given invitations to vote if we’re eligible, and I had gotten my invitation a few days before. My brother was appointed as one of the assistants of the neighborhood voting stations — to manage people voting and to help count the votes. This wasn’t his first time doing this either, and considering how he had to work restlessly until the votes were tallied the time before, I was rather worried. He and the rest of the staff voted a day or so before the voting was available to the public. Again, we didn’t have to go. However, I was informed that only an estimated 300 people in my neighborhood were given approval to vote this time around. Later, I found out that at this voting station, only about half showed up and voted. I don’t know what the usual estimate was before for reference, but I must say that there used to be around three voting stations within walking distance of my house. The factors that come into play here, to my knowledge, are the pandemic and that this was a local election. Besides that, our invitations had specific times for when we should’ve gotten there, like appointments, but we didn’t get to choose when that was. I got a bright and early 7:00AM - 8:00AM. I doubt they were going to be strict about this, but I still got there a little after 7:00AM. As for the voting process, it was the same as always. Provide my invitation and identification card, wait for verification, get my paper ballot, show a panel that my ballot was free of tampering, cast my vote, drop it into the box, get my pinky finger inked (it was marker refill ink) for proof, and was on my way. The difference here was that we had to wash our hands at a makeshift sink area, wear plastic gloves (the type you handle food with), and well, keep our masks on. We all threw away our plastic gloves after voting, then washed our hands again. https://tirto.id/siapa-pemenang-pilkada-balikpapan-rahmad-thohari-vs-kotak-kosong-f7Wj (for context) -
2020-10-13
Voting by Mail in Moab Utah
When I was planning my trip, one consideration I had to make was how I was going to vote. I requested my absentee ballot very early and decided I would have my mom mail it to me to pick up through general delivery wherever I ended up being at the time. Where I ended up being was Moab Utah, exploring Arches and Canyonland National Parks. This picture shows me dropping my ballot in the dropbox in Moab to send it back to Connecticut. I think this object is indicative of 2020, specifically the presidential election. Though elections are always important, this one was especially so and will have a significant impact on the future of this country. This object demonstrates the importance of voting by mail in this election, but also in general, as I would have needed to vote by mail if I were on this trip in a normal election cycle as well. I would say that my personal experience is also emblematic of my generation’s determination to exercise their right to vote. -
2020-10-29
Election Week Anxiety
Due to the massive number of American voters who decided to cast mail-in ballots, coupled with the unprecedented voter turnout, American’s did not get an answer on Wednesday morning as to who the next POTUS was going to be. This uncertainty, along with the climbing covid-19 numbers, meant a lot of citizens were feeling overwhelmed and anxious about what the next few days, and perhaps weeks, would entail. Crisis hotlines in the US saw a spike in calls related to election anxiety. This political cartoon created by Bruce Plante shows the anxiety that the hotline workers themselves might have been experiencing. With call after call coming into these centers, hotline workers do their best to ease the minds of those on the other side of the phone call. This is significant to 2020 because it illustrates the collective emotions voters were facing in the first week of November 2020. -
2020-08-06
Covid-19, Homelessness and Voters Rights
For many American’s, the financial impact of covid-19 has been at the forefront of their minds. With sky-rocketing unemployment rates and working hours cut due to state restrictions to help stop the spread of the virus, some American’s have been forced out of their residencies and into homelessness. Even more troubling, many shelters were unable to house the homeless due to capacity restrictions. For those who do not know, homeless citizens in all 50 states have the right to vote, but some states encouraged mail-in voting for the 2020 election to limit the spread of covid-19. Without a permanent address, many homeless citizens were forced to vote in person because they had no other alternative. -
2020-10-30
CDC Tips for Voters
In 2020 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been a pivotal organization in educating the public on how to protect themselves, and others, during the covid-19 pandemic. The CDC periodically releases guidance and updates on how to safely navigate everything from grocery shopping to voting. The CDC released an article titled “Tips for Voters to Reduce Spread of COVID-19”. In the article they encourage voters to know their voter’s rights, even if they are quarantined for covid. With a lot of voter misinformation circulating, the CDC took the proper steps to help voters understand their rights, whilst encouraging measures that help prevent the spread of this rapidly spreading virus. -
2020-11-22
Voting during the pandemic
The 2020 election was supposed to be my first chance to actually vote in person: unlike my peers, I was only 17 during my senior year of high school, and I had spent almost all the subsequent years out of state. And while I might have had the opportunity to visit my polling place in 2019 that was no longer an option once I signed up to be a poll worker and was assigned a precinct that was not close enough to mine to make it during my lunch break. Covid already disrupted my plans to be a poll worker for the 2020 Ohio primary in March and I forwent the opportunity to work the polls during the general election due to the risk of virus spread. Although I myself do not have many risk factors, I live with my mother who is in a higher risk category and occasionally visit my grandmother who is even more so, therefore I try to limit my exposure as much as possible. With voting in person seeming too risky, I went with my old standby of voting by absentee. However, while I normally complete the entire process by mail (the Ohio Secretary of State automatically sends me a request form at this point), I did not feel entirely confident entrusting my ballot the USPS this year. Rather I made use of the drop box at the Hamilton County Board of Elections so that I could be assured my vote would count and not be affected by the widespread postal service delays partially induced by the virus. Thankfully, the BOE has the functionality to allow me to track my request form, my incoming ballot, and it being recieved and counted so I could be doubly sure of everything working. -
2020-11-03
Voting Lines Stretched Across Two Parking Lots
On November 3, 2020 I took a photo of the voting line that was spread across the Legacy Bank and Library parking lots in Blanchard, Oklahoma. The small community has several voting precincts and this is just one of them. At one point it was mentioned that people were waiting up to three hours to vote at this voting location. The crowd appeared to be somewhat spaced apart and some were wearing masks. The pandemic affected how people stood near each other, which would've been normally much closer. -
2020-11-07
Boston Celebrated Joe Biden's Victory in the 2020 election
This moment is an important moment in American history, as it marks the end of a tyrant. However, it's important to me because it will hopefully represent a shift in the handling of this pandemic, meaning we can get back to a regular life sooner. Donald Trump has not handled this pandemic very well, giving our country the highest one-day increase of any country and the deaths of nearly 250,000 people. I hope that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris's inauguration will America get back on the right track. Their current plan for handling the pandemic looks very promising, and I cannot wait for them to work I also think that its really cool that my sister now has a role model that she can look up to in the White House, and while Ms. Harris may be the first, I am sure that she won't be the last. -
2020-11-05
Voting and Coronavirus
This picture depicts voters in Las Vegas voting with their masks on, which is what I had to do as well when I went to vote in person. This is an achievable idea for healthy Americans who can leave their houses because they aren’t afraid of getting the Coronavirus, but for a lot of older and immuno-compromised people, it is not likely. This resulted in many people using mail-in ballots to vote, like my grandparents had to, but we find out that some of the mail-in ballots are being “lost” or are being rejected. This is not how America should be run, we are amidst a pandemic with many people who can’t take the risk of getting sick right now to go vote and be in a closed space with many other people. It is our right, and it is our duty as Americans to cast our vote to decide who runs our country, it is unfair that people who voted in a perfectly legal way are being refused to be heard just because they don’t want to/can’t be around other people during a global pandemic. -
2020-10-29
Polling Places Are Closing Due To COVID-19.
The surge of COVID-19 cases across the United States has impacted voting across the country. Not only are some people afraid to vote in person but people are afraid of working at polls, resulting in a shortage of polls workers. Because of poll closures, people are being forced to find new polls. Low-income are being impacted by these closures due to the time it takes to find new polls and the cost of reaching them. Minorities are also impacted because they already faced longer than average wait times before COVID-19 when all polls were open. -
2020-09-06
Les Néo-Brunswickois votent tôt en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19.
Cet article montre comment les élections sont affectées dans le monde. This article shows how elections are being affected throughout the world. Curator's Note: The translation of the title is "New Brunswickers vote early due to COVID-19 pandemic." The translation of the screenshot is "New Brunswick: Early voting unusually popular" -
2020-06
Tweets from Inside a Prison 6/7-6/13/2020 by Railroaded Underground
These images show the Tweets of a prison inmate using a contraband cell phone to let the public know what it is like inside the nations prisons during the coronavirus pandemic. This week he talks about the "racist violent system", George Floyd, wishes the momentum for change in policing and Black Lives Matter isn't lost, encouraging voting, #ClemancyNow, San Quentin in San Francisco, and being put in the hole after a prison guard handcuffed and kicked him in the face repeatedly. -
2020-06-09
Voter Rights in a Pandemic
The image on the left shows the voting line in predominantly African American and Democratic portion of Fulton County, GA where complications with electronic ballots created a 4 hour line to vote; the left shows the predominantly white and conservative portion of that county. This is an example of the pandemic's impact on the upcoming elections.