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Arson attacks paralyze French high-speed rail network hours before start of Olympics, the Obamas endorse Harris for President; A NY county creates facial recognition, privacy protections; Art breathes new life into pollution-ravaged MI community; 34 Years of the ADA.

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Harris meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu and calls for a ceasefire. MI Rep. Rashida Tlaib faces backlash for a protest during Netanyahu's speech. And VA Sen. Mark Warner advocates for student debt relief.

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There's a gap between how rural and urban folks feel about the economy, Colorado's 'Rural is Rad' aims to connect outdoor businesses, more than a dozen of Maine's infrastructure sites face repeated flooding, and chocolate chip cookies rock August.

Faster postal service speed improves voter turnout, research finds

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Monday, October 30, 2023   

When the postal service works better, people are more likely to vote - according to new research.

The study published in the Election Law Journal finds efficient postal service increases voter turnout regardless of a state's mail voting laws.

Some states have passed more restrictive mail-in voting laws since the false accusations of voter fraud in the 2020 election.

Author of the research, Michael Ritter - assistant professor of political science at Washington State University - said the link is strong between good mail service and voting probability.

"Which indicates that the postal system is a critical factor," said Ritter, "in structuring the ability of mail voting to promote higher voter turnout at the individual level in the country."

Ritter said mail speed can determine whether a ballot makes it to an election office in time to be counted.

During the 2023 session, Idaho lawmakers attempted to make it harder to vote by mail with restrictions on absentee ballots, but the bill died in the House.

There was talk of reduced postal service in the run up to the 2020 election, which may have hurt confidence among some potential voters that their ballot would be delivered in time to be counted.

Ritter said that underscores the importance of mail service in elections.

"Does the postal system have sufficient resources to be able to reliably administer mail voting?" asked Ritter. "I think that's an important factor."

Ritter said the connection between mail service and voter turnout remains a critical issue.

"What I find in my article - that the postal system matters in moderating the impact to mail voting," said Ritter, "will continue to be the case in subsequent elections in the future, including 2024."




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