First Presidential Debate: What We’re Watching For

COVID-19 is impacting all facets of the voting process in 2020. While the pre-pandemic Democratic primary debates focused mostly on election security as the highest risk to voting this year, the presidential debates will touch on more administrative aspects that are key to election legitimacy, such as inequities in the voting experience, the integrity of mail-in voting, and the safety of in-person polling sites.

As we outlined in our recent video, there will be a surge of mail-in voting in November. The volume of mail ballots will slow down the results reporting in some key states. If the presidential contest is close, it is likely media organizations will not be able to accurately declare a winner on election night. The debate moderators should ask the candidates how they plan to handle the inevitable delays between election night and receiving the final vote counts. This void in information between election night and results reporting will be filled with partisans on both sides volleying claims of bias and incompetence. It is incumbent on both candidates to resist those forces and let the vote counting process proceed as it always does.

The debate is also primed for a broader discussion of the integrity of mail-in voting and our electoral institutions. I expect to hear different opinions about the efficacy of mail-in ballots, and the moderators should press both candidates to support their claims in support or opposition to a voting option that half of Americans will be using this year. Recent reporting regarding the Postal Service’s delays and ways to mitigate those problems should be explored.

Finally, in-person voting is still important to many American voters. Candidates should be asked how they would bolster the in-person process during a pandemic but also into the future. What is the appropriate role for the federal government in election administration?

We often talk about economic “inflection points,” when the momentum turned in some long-lasting way that is often only apparent in the rearview mirror. It seems likely that the history books will deem these past few months a protracted “inflection summer,” with the virus resurging, federal aid expiring and the prospect of a steady economic recovery slipping through our hands.

Perhaps it’s not too late to get the recovery back on track, but absent a further aid package before the election, much of this damage will be sealed, and we’ll be paying the price for years to come.

A question for the candidates:

Don’t you view a compromise package––like that proposed by the Problem Solvers Caucus––as better than no deal at all?

After plateauing over the last couple of weeks at 30,000 to 40,000 new cases and 500-1000 deaths daily, COVID-19 cases appear to again be on the rise in the United States. While testing has increased, the positivity rates across the country are still much too high, an indicator that we are not testing enough to meet the spread of the virus. One projection is that 36,000 more Americans could die from COVID-19 from now until Election Day, though universal masking may prevent a quarter of these deaths. It’s notable that two-thirds of Americans would support a national mask mandate and nearly two-thirds would support additional restrictions if necessary. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration has clarified its COVID-19 vaccine approval process with additional quantitative metrics. It’s important that the White House allows our scientists to lead and not further politicize the process.

Some key questions I have for the presidential candidates:

1. What needs to be done now until Election Day and then beyond to stem the course of the pandemic?
2. Would you support a mask mandate or ask all governors to issue and enforce one?
3. Would you support additional lockdowns if public health experts recommend doing so in the winter?
4. How important do you think testing is in curbing the pandemic?
5. What do you think about FDA’s updated vaccine approval guidance?

COVID-19 is also exacerbating the opioid epidemic that is already an urgent American public health crisis. Tomorrow, BPC releases a new report that tracks federal funding to states to tackle this challenge and offers recommendations for policymakers on how to better integrate these financial investments to improve outcomes for those affected by substance abuse disorders.