Election Day is less than a month away, early voting begins tomorrow, October 6th, and Americans are casting their ballot amidst turmoil and uncertainty. Since the coronavirus pandemic first began upending our lives back in March, the ever present concern of how to safely and fairly hold an election has been in the back of the minds of many.
Primary elections held across this country in the spring faced challenges as election officials tried to adapt to a new landscape. Here in Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine pushed back the March primary more than a month. There were court battles, and plenty of confusion to go around, resulting in low turnout.
90.3 WCPN ideastream and 89.7 WKSU are teamed up, to bring you another special simulcast of The Sound of Ideas.
In this hour we spoke to election officials and asked how they can ensure a safe and secure voting process, especially in the face of record requests for mail-in ballots. This of course due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which adds plenty of complications to the act of voting. Joining us was Director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections Anthony Perlatti, and Board Chair of the Summit County Board of Elections, William Rich.
We also heard from several reporters from both stations, who shared with us some of the stories they’ve been following during this election season. Nick Castele from ideastream, and M.L. Schultze from WKSU weighed in with what they have been looking at and answered listener questions.
Finally, we heard about some of the more marginalized members of the Northeast Ohio community, and how their votes may be affected. Carter Adams from WKSU shared his reporting on the transgender community, and Taylor Haggerty from ideastream spoke to the challenges facing the homeless population.
Guests:
- Anthony Perlatti, Director, Cuyahoga County Board of Elections
- William Rich, Board Chair, Summit County Board of Elections
- Nick Castele, Reporter, ideastream
- M.L. Schultze, Reporter, 89.7 WKSU
- Taylor Haggerty, Reporter, ideastream
- Carter Adams, Reporter, 89.7 WKSU
Hosts:
- Rick Jackson, ideastream
- Andrew Meyer, WKSU