Wednesday March 17, 2021 T: 582-7800 www.arubatoday.com facebook.com/arubatoday instagram.com/arubatoday Infini by Chef Page 8 Urvin Croes Aruba’s ONLY English newspaper Voter outreach led to big drop in rejected mail ballots By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY A both a decline in rejec- ssociated Press tion rate and the overall ATLANTA (AP) — The coro- number of ballots tossed navirus pandemic trig- out. During the state’s cha- gered an unprecedented otic primary at the start of IT’S IN surge in mailed ballots last the pandemic, Wisconsin year, raising concerns that rejected roughly 23,000 ab- a flood of first-time absen- sentee ballots compared THE MAIL tee voters would lead to with about 4,000 ballots another record: more bal- in November even as the lots tossed out for missing number of absentee bal- deadlines, signatures or lots rose from just shy of other reasons. 1.2 million in the primary to Those fears never materi- nearly 2 million. alized. An analysis by The Election officials and vot- Associated Press found ing experts attribute the that the rate of rejected declines to extensive voter ballots was actually lower education campaigns; in November than during work by volunteers to help last year's primaries in sev- find voters and fix ballot eral politically pivotal states issues; and myriad efforts despite an increase in the to make absentee voting number of absentee bal- easier, including new ways lots cast. for people to track their In one of the most striking ballots. In this Nov. 6, 2020, file photo, Christin Clatterbuck leaves an affidavit and information about fixing instances, Wisconsin saw Continued on next page absentee ballots on the door of a home in Stone Mountain, Ga. Associated Press A2 WEDNESDAY 17 MARCH 2021 UP FRONT Continued from Front a GOP push in Georgia primary to just 0.42% in No- Concerns about U.S. Postal would eliminate no-excuse vember. The state's chief Service delays also played absentee voting, requiring election official, a Repub- a role, motivating voters to people to give a reason. lican, credited more user- return ballots early or take In the weeks following the friendly voting materials advantage of a fleet of election, Trump seized on and requirements that local drop boxes that were de- preliminary reports of lower election officials call and ployed for the election. rejection rates in Georgia email voters about ballot Despite this success, Re- and Pennsylvania — states problems, rather than just publican lawmakers in sev- he lost. But the AP analysis notifying them by mail. Ab- eral states have invoked shows November rejec- sentee ballots represented former President Donald tion rates also declined in 36% of all votes cast. Trump's unfounded claims Florida, North Carolina and "All of those things that we of election fraud to pro- Ohio — states Trump won. did helped to reduce the pose strict limits on absen- Ohio's rejection rate de- error rate," said Secretary tee voting. For instance, clined from 1.35% in the of State Frank LaRose. "And In this Nov. 4, 2020, file photo, an election inspector looks at an absentee ballot as vote counting in the general election contin- ues at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Associated Press that's a really big success the bad thing from hap- story — that we had mas- pening," said Sylvia Albert sive absentee voting and a with Common Cause, one tiny number of errors." of several groups assisting Election officials and voting voters who encountered experts pay close attention problems with mail ballots. to ballot rejection data be- In a few states, election of- cause it represents, in most ficials implemented exten- cases, people who were sive ballot-tracking and no- unable to vote successful- tification systems while vari- ly. Newly registered, Black, ous organizations mobilized Hispanic and younger vot- volunteers to track down ers have had their ballots and help voters whose bal- rejected at higher rates lots were flagged for rejec- than white and more expe- tion. North Carolina and rienced voters, according Georgia were among the to research by University states where groups made of Florida political scientist a concerted effort to re- Daniel A. Smith. duce rejections. For its analysis, the AP "There is nothing more sad sought 2020 ballot data than a person taking these from swing states: Arizona, steps to be involved in the Colorado, Florida, Georgia, process and then being Michigan, Nevada, North disenfranchised through Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylva- no fault of their own," said nia and Wisconsin. In nine, Saira Draper, voter protec- it found the mailed ballot tion director for the Demo- rejection rate declined. cratic Party of Georgia. Pennsylvania said data For the presidential elec- was not yet available, and tion, a joint effort by state Arizona noted its numbers Democrats and the Biden- were preliminary. Of the Harris campaign involving states, Colorado sends mail thousands of volunteers ballots to all registered vot- knocking on doors and ers and about 75% of Arizo- working phones reached na voters are on a perma- nearly 16,000 people who nent early voting list and ultimately fixed their bal- automatically receive bal- lots, Draper said. lots in the mail. In Florida, nearly 73% of "It's not that something bad voters whose ballots were didn't happen when we initially flagged for rejec- worried something bad tion successfully fixed their would happen. It's that we ballots, according to a new did all this hard work to stop analysis by Smith.q A3 U.S. NEWS WEDNESDAY 17 MARCH 2021 Schools weigh whether to seat students closer together By COLLIN BINKLEY been staggeringly low — AP Education Writer like one time or something BOSTON (AP) — New evi- like that," said Tim McRob- dence that it may be safe erts, vice president of the for schools to seat students school board. "We've kept 3 feet apart — half of the our doors open. We've had previous recommended no temporary shutdowns." distance — could offer a In Ohio, Cincinnati's school way to return more of the board got an earful from nation's children to class- parents and others last rooms with limited space. month when it proposed Even as more teachers re- resuming in-person learning ceive vaccinations against at the crowded Walnut Hills COVID-19, social distanc- High School under a model ing guidelines have re- that called for distancing mained a major hurdle of only 3 feet there while its for districts across the U.S. other schools would use 6 Debate around the is- feet. sue flared last week when The critics included Walnut a study suggested that Hills teacher Brandon Keller, masked students can be who said the plan was dan- seated as close as 3 feet gerous. He warned the apart with no increased risk board that their decision to them or teachers. "will have a body count." Published in the journal Board members backed off Clinical Infectious Diseas- on reopening that school, es, the research looked at then weeks later narrowly schools in Massachusetts, voted for a plan that in- which has backed the cluded a phased reopen- In this March 2, 2021, file photo, socially distanced, and with protective partitions, students work 3-foot guideline for months. on an art project during class at the Sinaloa Middle School in Novato, Calif. ing, but they also warned Illinois and Indiana are also Associated Press that the physical distanc- allowing 3 feet of distance, ing might be less than 6 and other states such as ing weeks. With the larger a standard. Districts that school committee, said feet. Students also have Oregon are considering guideline, he said, most fail to meet the reopening switching to the 3-feet stan- options to continue learn- doing the same. schools only have space deadline would risk losing dard would be "betting the ing virtually. The Centers for Disease to bring back half of their state funding. health" of thousands of stu- Seven superintendents in Control and Prevention students at a time. Moving The Massachusetts Teach- dents and staff. central Oregon sent a let- is now exploring the idea to 3 feet could allow about ers Association, a statewide In Boston's public schools, ter to Gov. Kate Brown last too. The agency's direc- 75% at a time, he said. union, argues that seating desks will be spaced at least week asking the state to tor, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, "There are districts that students closer will increase 3 feet apart, but teachers relax some of its social dis- said the 6-foot guideline is have been doing 3 feet for the risk for everyone in the and staff will be asked to tancing rules — including "among the biggest chal- quite some time without classroom. It also poses a keep 6 feet from students the 6-foot barrier — so that lenges" schools have faced experiencing any greater problem for districts that and other staff when fea- more students can return to in reopening. amount of infection," he have agreed to contracts sible, district spokesper- class full time. The CDC included the larg- said. with teachers adopting son Xavier Andrews said. Oregon's Crook County er spacing in its latest school In Illinois, health officials said the 6-foot rule as a require- Schools will also use larger School District, which has guidelines, which were is- last week that students can ment. rooms and outdoor spaces had students in classrooms sued in February and con- be seated 3 feet apart as "They can't just throw 6 feet to keep students at a safe most of the school year, cluded that schools can long as their teachers are out the window.