As election day approaches, Americans have to decide how they’re going to vote this election. The two main options are either going to the voting polls or voting by mail. States are having to deal with two types of mail-in voting: absentee ballots and a mass mail-out system. These two types of voting have caused much confusion among voters since the mass mail-out system has only ever been used by five states. 

To clarify, absentee voting is when a registered voter can request a ballot to be sent to them. Six states require an excuse to send out an absentee ballot. A separate mass mail-out voting system was adopted by nine states where unsolicited ballots are sent out to all registered voters. Five of those states have already used this system in the past, but expanding the mass mail-out system right now is a disastrous idea. There have been many reports of mail-in ballots being unaccounted for, and there’s a concern of states not being able to count all the votes by election day. Some Americans support this new system, saying it’s beneficial to people who can’t leave their house due to the pandemic, but this is what absentee ballots are for; Absentee ballots are mail-in ballots without the chaos and fraud of the mass mail-out system.

This mail-in process has already had many hiccups. Some examples of unaccounted ballots include Nevada’s first primary election with the mass mail-out system where ballots were found in trash cans and pinned onto walls. A case in New Jersey also shows voter fraud with one-fifth of mail-in ballots on May 12th for a Paterson City Council seat.

More recently, the FBI is investigating a case in Pennsylvania where nine ballots were found thrown away in a dumpster– seven of those being inappropriately opened Trump votes. That means nine American citizen’s right to free speech were infringed. All of these cases are examples of what could happen if states continue to mail out unsolicited ballots to all registered voters. Moreover, Pennsylvania ruled that the signature on the ballot does not have to match the signature of the voter. Every registered US citizen’s vote should be counted, and the chaos and likely fraud that has occurred regarding ballots within these states is disheartening.

Chris Wallace, the first presidential debate moderator from Fox News, proposed the question of fraudulent ballots in which Trump rightly showed strong concern that these particular states will allow themselves to silence American voters. This is a threat to America’s democracy; if we cannot have a fair election, then we, as Americans, have lost our core values.

Additionally, another concern is the counting of mail-in ballots in time to announce the next president on election day. It’s uncertain when states will be completely done with counting ballots, as each state has different laws regarding when they can start counting ballots. However, when four additional states adopt a mass mail-out system, the organization and counting of the ballots are sure to be hectic.

Trump highlights a situation in New Jersey where 99 ballots were unaccounted for. 

Rigged! https://t.co/nvUhewgT7q

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2020

Fraudulent ballots will be apparent in this election if states cannot verify a voter’s honesty and if they cannot handle the number of ballots. Americans’ votes are too precious to be thrown around with the hope of eventually landing in the election office. While America has become more polarized regarding political parties, we should all be able to agree that every election should be free and fair. Though absentee ballots are important and fair, the mass mail-out system has no standard of care to ensure the security of one’s vote. Expanding the mass mail-out system in an election year is a horrible idea, and this presidential election might produce a falsely elected President. 

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this piece belong solely to their respective author(s). They do not represent the opinions of South Forsyth High School or Forsyth County Schools.