Are you ready to vote by mail?

+ buildings have microbiomes too Edition: US - Today's top story: Some states more ready for mail-in voting than others [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 17 April 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Editor's note With social distancing guidelines likely to last for months – if not years – Americans will have to figure out new ways to conduct elections safely. That probably means mail-in ballots. Constitutional law scholar Steven Mulroy lays out which states are all set, which are close to ready and which ones may [need to change their rules or laws](. Also today: - [The unaffordable housing crisis]( - [Life without touch]( - [Remembering the first Earth Day]( Jeff Inglis Politics + Society Editor Top story Wisconsin voters had to wait in line in April, wearing masks, because they could not vote by mail. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images [Some states more ready for mail-in voting than others]( Steven Mulroy, University of Memphis In many states, any voter can ask for an absentee ballot and mail it in – but in others, there are stricter rules about who can vote by mail. Politics + Society - [The coronavirus pandemic is making the US housing crisis even worse]( Isabel Solange Muñoz, University of Tennessee Even as Americans are all told to remain at home, millions are now unemployed and must scramble to figure out how to pay for that home. - [Why prisoners are at higher risk for the coronavirus: 5 questions answered]( Martha Hurley, University of Dayton Half of incarcerated individuals have either a chronic medical or a mental health condition. But social distancing and rigorous hygiene are unattainable for many US jails and prisons. - [Massive spending in a crisis brought bloody consequences in ancient Athens]( Mark Munn, Pennsylvania State University A historian of ancient Greece looks past a plague and explains how a massive government spending plan went badly awry 2,500 years ago. Ethics + Religion - [Catholic Church urges Venezuela to unite against coronavirus]( David Smilde, Tulane University; Hugo Pérez Hernáiz, Universidad Central de Venezuela If anyone can convince the Maduro government and the Venezuelan opposition to come together to fight COVID-19, it's the Pope. But the Church's power to negotiate an emergency deal is limited. Science + Technology - [1918 flu pandemic killed 12 million Indians, and British overlords’ indifference strengthened the anti-colonial movement]( Maura Chhun, Metropolitan State University When the 1918 influenza pandemic struck India, the death toll was highest among the poor. Environment + Energy - [The first Earth Day was a shot heard around the world]( Maria Ivanova, University of Massachusetts Boston April 22, 2020 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, which catalyzed action to protect the environment not just in the US but internationally. - [Buildings have their own microbiomes – we’re striving to make them healthy places]( Kevin Van den Wymelenberg, University of Oregon; Leslie Dietz, University of Oregon; Mark Fretz, University of Oregon We spend 90% of our lives indoors, and every building has its own indoor microbiome. Can we learn to manage them in ways that support helpful microbes and suppress harmful ones? Arts + Culture - [What’s lost when we’re too afraid to touch the world around us?]( Chunjie Zhang, University of California, Davis With dreaded, invisible germs lurking on surfaces and in people, our surroundings are seen as a minefield – and we end up dulling one of our most valuable senses. Economy + Business - [3 innovations helping the homeless in Eugene, Oregon]( Mohamed Hassan Awad, California State University, Los Angeles Nonprofits and concerned residents are teaming up with the local government to solve a daunting problem in a city with the nation's highest per-capita rate of homelessnesss. - [Lead with empathy during the COVID-19 crisis]( Leslie Hammer, Oregon Health & Science University; Lindsey Alley, Oregon Health & Science University The coronavirus pandemic is a stressful time for everyone. Here are some ways employers can help their employees through this crisis. From our international editions - [We need a laugh, even if it is fake – a history of canned laughter]( Charlie Watts, University of Portsmouth With no in-studio audiences, the Laff Box should be used more by comedy shows. - [In India’s cities, life is lived on the streets – how coronavirus changed that]( Lakshmi Priya Rajendran, Anglia Ruskin University Public spaces are an integral part of everyday life for most Indians. The lockdown could make people appreciate them even more. - [Riding on the kangaroo’s back: animal skin fashion, exports and ethical trade]( Dr Fabri Blacklock, UNSW Pressure is mounting on fashion producers to stop using skins from Australian native animals. But Indigenous people are reviving traditions and there are ethical ways for trade to continue. [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. 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