Examining effects, challenges of mail-in voting

Mail-in voting has come under partisan scrutiny, but according to Stanford research, it does not appear to benefit one political party over the other. However, challenges to mail-in and absentee voting remain as states and voters make a shift this November. As the coronavirus persists and the U.S. November election nears, some states are expanding options for voters to cast their ballot either by mail or absentee - a decision that has raised concerns that mail-in voting could favor one political party over the other. But contrary to what some skeptics believe about partisan effects, multiple studies by Stanford scholars have found that mail or absentee voting does not appear to benefit either political party. While absentee and mail-in voting has never been attempted at a scale as large as what is anticipated this fall, some states have already implemented these types of voting programs in their own elections. By studying the results from these elections, Stanford scholars have been able to examine effects on turnout, anticipate how mail-in voting might unfold nationally in November and identify challenges that lie ahead, such as ensuring that every ballot gets counted. Here are some of their findings.