Pandemic at the Polls

Dari Sylvester Tran is professor of political science at University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA.

• PrefaceAcknowledgementsPart I: Pandemic Election ContextIntroductionDari Sylvester TranChapter 1: The Pandemic Voting ExperienceMartha KropfChapter 2: The Pandemic, The U.S. Postal Service, and Mail Voting Laws and Voting in American ElectionsMichael J. RitterChapter 3: Plotting Out Election Administrative Insights Aad Recommendations from the 2020 ElectionJohn A. Curiel and Declan ChinChapter 4: Online Hostility towards Local Election Officials Surged in 2020Joelle Gross, Samuel Baltz, Mara Suttmann-Lea, Thessalia Merivaki, and Charles Stewart IIIPart II: Adaptation and Alternative Voting ArrangementsChapter 5: What Drove the Increase in Mail Voting in the 2020 General Election?Lindsay Nielson, David Varas Alonso, and Sidney Carl TurnerChapter 6: Adapting Democracy: Implementing Vote Centers During a PandemicAnita Manion, David Kimball, Joseph Anthony, and Adriano UdaniChapter 7: The New Role of Philanthropy in Supporting Election Administration in the 2020 ElectionMitchell Brown and Kathleen HalePart III: Improving the Path ForwardChapter 8: Queuing up Problems: The Application and Status of Queuing Catastrophes in Election AdministrationJohn A. CurielChapter 9: Automatic Voter Registration and List MaintenanceJonathan Griffiths and Marc MeredithConclusion Martha KropfAbout the ContributorsIndex

Across the chapters, the authors consider in detail the complex landscape of election administration, the political environment surrounding the COVID-19 response, and partisan claims about the integrity of the election in the United States to present a comprehensive narrative of election administration in 2020. The text utilizes both a national and subnational approach to discuss these issues, often highlighting the innovative approaches of local election officials, states, and non-profit organizations. The authors carefully consider the lasting consequences of the political and administrative challenges and opportunities that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic for voters, election administration, and democratic governance.