By Veronica Perry
USC Sol Price School of Public Policy launched Price Talks: Policy in a Pandemic, a 30-minute lunchtime speaker series that features Price faculty discussing important policy issues related to COVID-19. On Tuesday, March 31, Mindy Romero, professor and founding director of the California Civic Engagement Project in Sacramento, shared her perspective on how this global epidemic is affecting the 2020 election.
Romero broke down the impacts of COVID-19 on the democratic process into four main segments: public participation, election delays, voter representation and the opportunities ahead.
Public Participation During Social Isolation
Citing Governor Gavin Newsom’s emergency executive order to suspend many laws that grant public access to state and local decision-making bodies, Romero emphasized that the public needs opportunities to engage with policy makers in their community. “It’s important to consider how we limit public access and the alternatives that are available to ensure that legislative bodies are still hearing from the public,” she said.
Although access to in-person meetings have been eliminated, Romero suggested two key actions:
“Transparency is critical. We have to make sure that those with economic or political goals that are not in the interest of the public are not taking advantage of the changes occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she continued. At the same time, Romero recognized the importance of limiting decision-making done outside of the public view, with little public impact and public participation, such as budgets and public health.
Elections in the Time of COVID-19
It is crucial to consider how elections at the state level will be executed. “The decisions being made surrounding an election, and making it accessible to the public, have a significant impact on things like [voter] turnout and the makeup of the elections,” Romero said. She explained that many people assumed and looked forward to a high turnout this November, which may no longer be the reality.
Many states have already postponed elections and people are asking whether the general election date will be changed. Romero explained that it would take an act of Congress to change or delay the general election and that there is a very small window in which to do that. “This is not a simple thing. It can get quite complicated,” she said. Even so, Romero shared, it is incredibly unlikely that the 2020 election will not commence as planned.
The Importance of Voter Representation
Romero noted that in an average election year, the population of people who ultimately votes already isn’t representative of the entire eligible voting pool; now, we may see even less representation depending on how states optimize or adjust their election-specific decisions. Many states are considering how to leverage vote-by-mail ballots as a solution. However, Romero stated that “…we can see that changes that happen on the fly, with little to no data, can have a potentially negative impact – such as switching to vote-by-mail without addressing the needs of in-person voters.”
The Opportunity Ahead
Even with heightened concerns and increased challenges, we do have opportunities to affect positive change. Although our institutions generally change at a slow rate, Romero mentioned, historical moments of social disruption can influence significant changes.
“As we’re changing the rules [during the pandemic], changing our engagement and talking openly about issues such as representation, maybe we can build something better once it passes,” she concluded. Although it won’t be easy, Romero believes this is a chance to demand accountability from our leaders, strengthen our communities and improve democratic institutions.
Assistant Professor (Research)