Wake Up To Politics Podcast: Voting in a pandemic

Wake Up To Politics Podcast: Episode #6

In just a few short weeks, the coronavirus has altered nearly every facet of American life.

In the latest episode of the Wake Up To Politics Podcast, we dig into the impact the pandemic will have on the 2020 elections and discuss what voting in November might look like.  

The episode includes voice memos from listeners across the country, plus an interview with Amber McReynolds of the Vote at Home Institute explaining what vote-by-mail means and how much time states have to implement it.

"This pandemic has exposed some real vulnerabilities that exist in our election structure," McReynolds told me. I think you'll find the episode to be incredibly timely and packed with information about how the political world is responding to COVID-19.

You can listen (and subscribe) now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, or Stitcher! As always, if you have any feedback on this episode or topics we should cover next: please reply to this email or leave a review on the podcast platform of your choice.

Also, for parents and teachers: this episode — and the previous ones — are great resources to show your students while they're learning at home! I'm incredibly proud that the podcast was honored with the 2020 Horace Mann Friend of Education Award by the Missouri National Education Association, and hope that listeners of all ages find the show engaging and informative.

Further reading:

• For more information on the Vote at Home Institute, visit the non-partisan group's website, voteathome.org.
• If you want to learn more about vote-by-mail and see where it is implemented, the National Council on State Legislatures has a great suite of resources.
• Towards the end of the episode, I refer to the elections of 1918, which were held during the Spanish flu outbreak. The New York Times ran an interesting article last month on the lessons that can be gleaned from those elections in light of the current health crisis.
• I also mention the Wisconsin primary, which is still set to take place on Tuesday despite fears surrounding in-person voting. Here is the latest from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on the steps being taken by the state to protect voters.
• My guest, Amber McReynolds, is also a member of the National Task Force on Election Crises. Last week, they released new guidelines for holding elections during COVID-19. Here are the guidelines, plus a write-up from BuzzFeed News.

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