Last week The New York Times published an article by Emily Bazelon, covering the divisiveness of Mail-In Ballots caused by COVID19 in the article Will Americans Lose Their Right to Vote in the Pandemic?. Bazelon was interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR’s Podcast, Fresh Air (How Protecting Voter Safety With Mail-In Ballots Became A Partisan Issue) to analyze why the topic of Vote-By-Mail is so controversial to some and how a nationwide Vote-By-Mail system may have its roadblocks. In both the article and the interview, Bazelon directly quotes and mentions Richard Gebbie, CEO of Midwest Direct, on the struggles some inexperienced mailers are facing when it comes to capacity and equipment for mail-in elections. In the Fresh Air interview Bazelon is quoted as saying:
I called Richard Gebbie, who runs a company that can do the kind of bulk mailing that election officials need. And he said he'd been calling around to counties in Pennsylvania to say, hey - looks like you could have a big increase demand in absentee ballots. Are you looking for a vendor to make sure you can produce everything in time?
And he said only one county, Mercer, said, yeah. Can you send us a quote? Everyone else said, can you call us back in a month? And the problem for people like Richard Gebbie is that the longer you wait as a company to get those orders, well, then you might not have time to order the machines that you need to fulfill the orders. And so I think, states that are looking at a huge increase in volume - and cities and counties because in the end, this comes down to local officials - it's a real mistake to wait to start setting up all these systems.
Act Now
There is still time to get your Vote-By-Mail systems in place for the 2020 elections. Because of our experience with the previous elections, Midwest Direct has systems and procedures in place already in place to overcome the upcoming obstacles. Over the last six months, Midwest Direct has served over 36 counties with more than 5 million ballots. In 2019, Midwest created, produced, and delivered over two million ballots for over 35 Ohio counties.
Ballot production and distribution can be challenging in “normal” election cycles. The 2020 election brings with it all the regular challenges along with new urgency, regulations, and demand. Now, more than ever, you need an experienced ballot partner to guide you through the process. Midwest Direct can be your Vote-By-Mail partner.
Don’t wait! Speak with one of our Vote By Mail or Absentee Ballot advisors today!
Listen to the full interview to learn more about the difficulties the country faces with Vote-By-Mail and how Midwest Direct is prepared to help you overcome these challenges.
How Protecting Voter Safety With Mail-In Ballots Became A Partisan Issue
Will Americans Lose Their Right to Vote in the Pandemic?
Midwest Direct: Your Official Election Partner For Mail-In Ballots
Our Podcast on Understanding Vote By Mail with Rich Gebbie
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