How everyone could vote safely in a pandemic

Republicans reject vote-by-mail plans; developing countries may face a coronavirus disaster. Vox just launched a way for you, our readers, to support our work. If you value our explanatory journalism, please consider [making a contribution today](. Tonight's Sentences was written by Cameron Peters. TOP NEWS In a pandemic, voting by mail makes sense. But Republicans oppose it. Scott Olson/Getty Images - On Tuesday, Wisconsin held an election — and it was a disaster. Voters formed long lines to file into cramped polling places, contrary to virtually all public health advice amid a pandemic. [[Vox / German Lopez](] - Wisconsin is unique in its decision to go ahead this month with its primary contest as scheduled. Sixteen states and Puerto Rico have so far decided to postpone their primaries in the interest of public safety, and several have switched to entirely mail-in voting. [[NYT / Nick Corasaniti and Stephanie Saul](] - Uncertainty about how the long coronavirus pandemic will last and for how long attendant social distancing measures will be in effect has also sparked a conversation about a national shift to vote-by-mail ahead of the general election on November 3. [[LA Times / Evan Halper](] - Such a shift would be by no means be unprecedented — five states currently have an all vote-by-mail election system, and California is moving in that direction. [[Politico / Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett](] - And vote-by-mail is not just cheaper, more convenient, and more secure; it also increases voter turnout. Ultimately, it’s just flat-out better — especially in the midst of a pandemic. [[Vox / David Roberts](] - But in recent weeks, Republicans have mounted a campaign against mail-in voting, with President Donald Trump declaring — falsely — during a coronavirus briefing this week that mail-in voting is “horrible” and “corrupt.” [[CNN / Eric Bradner and Dan Merica](] - Trump has also promulgated a long-debunked myth of widespread voter fraud as a reason to oppose vote-by-mail, ignoring the fact that he himself voted by mail in Florida’s presidential primary. [[The Guardian / Sam Levine](] - At least in part, the GOP calculus on vote-by-mail is firmly grounded in electoral concerns. The Republican speaker of the Georgia State House said last week that mail-in voting would be “extremely devastating to Republicans.” [[AJC / Mark Niesse](] - Despite that, vote-by-mail is good for voters: As Vox’s David Roberts points out, not only was vote-by-mail previously nonpartisan (ruby-red Utah uses it), but it could be essential come November 2020 to assure that every American has the chance to exercise their right to vote if social distancing measures are still in place. [[Vox / David Roberts](] Why the coronavirus crisis could be even worse in developing countries - By and large, the coronavirus hit rich countries, including the US and much of Europe, first. But experts warn that that will change — the coronavirus will spread in poor and developing nations next, and they have far fewer resources to combat the virus. [[Nat Geo / Paul Salopek](] - Weaker social safety nets, limited health care systems, and megacities like Mumbai and São Paulo, where urban density makes social distancing all the more difficult, are all factors that could make coronavirus outbreaks in developing countries even more devastating. [[Washington Post / Anthony Faiola, Sudarsan Raghavan, Max Bearak, and Terrence McCoy](] - And as wealthy countries like the US are searching out every test kit, N95 mask, and ventilator they can get their hands on, developing countries are being shoved to the back of the queue or outbid for crucial medical supplies. [[NYT / Jane Bradley](] - India is just one of the developing nations where the coronavirus is poised to be a major crisis. Last month, an Indian medical official told Vox’s Alex Ward that “if the current disease trajectory is anything to go by, we expect 1 million or 2 million deaths in India over a one-year period.” [[Vox / Alex Ward](] MISCELLANEOUS More than 16 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the last three weeks. [[NYT / Patricia Cohen and Tiffany Hsu](] - A coronavirus model update shows a reduced expected death toll in the US — but that doesn’t make social distancing measures any less essential. [[Washington Post / Philip Bump](] - In 2008, the financial crisis devastated millennials. Now, it’s happening again. [[Vox / Rainesford Stauffer](] - Not even the coronavirus can stop France’s love for bread. [[NPR / Eleanor Beardsley](] VERBATIM "Everyone is very much afraid of being punished for speaking out, but they’re also very aware that their silence will lead to their deaths. Speaking out has always been a fear that those in incarceration have … it’s so terrifying how much they’re putting at risk." [[Deportation defense organizer Vanesa Suarez on the plight of immigrant detainees during the coronavirus pandemic / Vox](] LISTEN TO THIS [Wisconsinites had to choose between catching Covid-19 and voting on Tuesday. Is the rest of the country next?]( Wisconsinites had to choose between the possibility of catching Covid-19 and voting on Tuesday. Is the rest of the country next? [[Spotify / Sean Rameswaram](] [Read more from Vox](#) [The shift to online learning could worsen educational inequality]( [It will be a long time before the economy recovers — and it won’t be the same]( [9 ideas Biden should steal from his Democratic rivals]( [Targeted ads can be more than annoying — they can have mental health consequences]( [Sweden’s government has tried a risky coronavirus strategy. It could backfire.]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. 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