{"id":244,"date":"2020-03-19T00:05:10","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T04:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/?p=244"},"modified":"2020-03-19T10:12:41","modified_gmt":"2020-03-19T14:12:41","slug":"can-charlotte-cancel-the-rnc-over-coronavirus-and-will-we-see-a-surge-in-mail-voting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/can-charlotte-cancel-the-rnc-over-coronavirus-and-will-we-see-a-surge-in-mail-voting\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Charlotte Cancel The RNC Over Coronavirus? And Will We See A Surge In Mail Voting?"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_250\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-250\" style=\"width: 1400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-250\" src=\"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/harris-presser.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/harris-presser.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/harris-presser-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/harris-presser-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/harris-presser-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/harris-presser-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-250\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris speaks at a press conference about coronavirus.<br \/>CREDIT: STEVE HARRISON\/WFAE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-244-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/wfae-od.streamguys1.com\/ip\/InsidePolitics031920.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/wfae-od.streamguys1.com\/ip\/InsidePolitics031920.mp3\">https:\/\/wfae-od.streamguys1.com\/ip\/InsidePolitics031920.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>Will the coronavirus derail the Republican National Convention in August?<\/p>\n<p>And what about its impact on the general election? Will North Carolina shift more to voting by mail, even after the General Assembly last year eliminated the role of third parties in helping voters request mail ballots?<\/p>\n<p>And how have other national emergencies \u2013 like the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic \u2013 impacted our elections?<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/wfae.org\/insidepolitics\">&#8220;Inside Politics: The RNC in Charlotte&#8221;<\/a> podcast will explore these questions this week.<\/p>\n<p>First off is the RNC and whether the Charlotte will still host.<\/p>\n<p>As of today, the RNC is still on. But if nothing changes, it can\u2019t take place. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order last week that prohibited gatherings of more than 100 people.<\/p>\n<p>And on Monday, Mecklenburg Health Director Gibbie Harris went further, banning gatherings of more than 50 people. And Harris on Tuesday said it\u2019s possible that Mecklenburg could enact a \u201cshelter in place\u201d requirement as San Francisco has done.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we may be moving in that direction more quickly than we would be like,\u201d she told Mecklenburg Commissioner Mark Jerrell. \u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do in the county is to prevent us from getting to the place where a San Francisco or a New York has found themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But what happens if the spread of the virus subsides and North Carolina and the nation are able to \u201cflatten the curve?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What would happen if President Trump says he wants to come to Charlotte and have the RNC as usual?<\/p>\n<p>Would the Charlotte City Council be OK with that?<\/p>\n<p>It turns out that it doesn\u2019t really matter. Council members can\u2019t get out of hosting because of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n<p>In the city\u2019s contract with the local host committee and the Republican National Committee, there is no wiggle room. The only escape clause for the city is if the federal government doesn\u2019t give the city the expected $50 million federal security grant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the gist,\u201d said city attorney Patrick Baker. \u201cAnd unless the parties had some mutual agreement, neither party can just walk out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The city\u2019s contract with the RNC also doesn\u2019t have what\u2019s known as a Force Majeure provision. That provision allows for one party to opt out in case of an &#8220;act of God&#8221; \u2014 an event like a natural disaster, a hurricane or a pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>And that means the city is essentially powerless to get out of hosting because of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah that\u2019s going to be a conversation that we\u2019ll have to have at that time,\u201d Baker said. \u201cIf you are in that gray area of you can host, but should you host the convention? Which is where we were a few weeks ago. But that\u2019s something we\u2019ll have to consider as we go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Baker added: \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t be a City Council decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both the Charlotte host committee for the RNC and national Republicans won\u2019t speculate on what might happen this summer. The host committee says it\u2019s coordinating with stakeholders and taking necessary precautions.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_144\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-144\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-144 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rnc_areana-e1579725094150-300x181.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"181\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rnc_areana-e1579725094150-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rnc_areana-e1579725094150-1024x620.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rnc_areana-e1579725094150-768x465.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rnc_areana-e1579725094150-1536x929.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rnc_areana-e1579725094150-446x270.jpg 446w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/rnc_areana-e1579725094150.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-144\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Charlotte City Council can&#8217;t cancel its contract for the RNC because of the coronavirus. WFAE file photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And a spokesperson for the president\u2019s reelection efforts \u2013 Trump Victory \u2013 says the administration has shown \u201cincredible leadership\u201d and that they are \u201ctaking unprecedented actions\u201d but that it is \u201cbusiness as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The RNC is planning a media walk-through April 12 at the Spectrum Center.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s unclear how the president will view the virus over the summer, if the nation is able to flatten the curve.<\/p>\n<p>Will he see it as a continuing threat, like when he recommended Americans not gather in groups larger than 10 people?<\/p>\n<p>Or will he return to his tone in early March, when he spoke at a rally at Bojangles\u2019 Coliseum and compared the coronavirus to the seasonal flu?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Inside Politics&#8221; reached out to the Republican National Committee about whether they have a provision that would allow delegates to nominate President Trump remotely or virtually. The RNC didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can The President Move The Date Of The General Election Because Of The Virus?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There were supposed to be eight primaries on Tuesday &#8212; Louisiana, Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland, Illinois, Florida and Arizona.<\/p>\n<p>And in the end, only three states voted.<\/p>\n<p>States can easily move their primaries. But the date of the general election is set by federal law \u2013 the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.<\/p>\n<p>It can be changed, but Congress would have to pass a law, which would be signed by the president.<\/p>\n<p>And with Democrats controlling the House of Representatives, any effort to move the date of the general election would need buy-in from both parties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is There A Chance That North Carolina And Other States Might Use More Mail Voting?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>North Carolina Board of Elections director Karen Brinson Bell said she is \u2014 for now \u2014 preparing for a May 12 runoff election for Republican Mark Meadows\u2019 seat in the 11th Congressional District.<\/p>\n<p>She said her office may ask the General Assembly for more flexibility in upcoming elections, including the November general.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have to consider what does in-person voting look like?\u201d she said. \u201cAnd how would we conduct that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of her earliest concerns is staffing precincts with poll workers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur average age of our poll workers is about 72,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd that puts them into a high-risk category.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said she\u2019s thinking about small changes like having disposable pens at polling places for people to sign the poll book.<\/p>\n<p>Brinson-Bell is also considering having to handle much more voting by mail\u2013 or, in a worst-case scenario, having an all-mail voting election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we have to get a sense of is this a short-term epidemic?\u201d she said. \u201cOr is it something that follows more of the flu schedule? So we&#8217;re listening to our health care officials, to the executive orders and state of emergency language that&#8217;s shared with us. We&#8217;re working with our partners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also said that mailing ballots to every registered voter would require a change in law.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that we just have to consider is what does our law allow?\u201d she said. \u201cWould we need to take legislative changes? And that shift in many of those states, what they do is mail to every registered voter a ballot without request. So that&#8217;s a change in our law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>How Did The 9th District Mail Ballot Scandal Impact Mail Voting In North Carolina?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>North Carolina law today says anyone can vote absentee mail by mail with no excuse needed. But a voter has to request an absentee ballot.<\/p>\n<p>Other states \u2013 like Washington \u2013 send mail ballots to all registered voters.<\/p>\n<p>In the 2018 9th Congressional District scandal, political operatives in Bladen County were encouraging people to request mail ballots and then collecting those request forms. At the time, that was legal.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_246\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-246\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-246 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/dowless-300x235.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/dowless-300x235.png 300w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/dowless-345x270.png 345w, https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/dowless.png 684w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-246\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">McCrae Dowless is accused of illegally collecting completed mail ballots in Bladen County. After the scandal, the North Carolina General Assembly prohibited people from collecting mail ballot request forms. <em>WFAE file photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But those same operatives were then coming back and collecting the completed ballots, which was illegal.<\/p>\n<p>After the scandal, the General Assembly \u2013 in a bipartisan vote \u2013 changed the law to say that third parties can\u2019t collect or \u201charvest\u201d ballot request forms. That was designed to eliminate political operatives from being involved at all in the mail-ballot process.<\/p>\n<p>And that means that we could have an election where tens of thousands of more people want to vote by mail, but it\u2019s now harder to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Attorney Marc Elias, who represented Dan McCready in the 2019 State Board of Elections hearing, said that the law against collecting ballot request forms discriminates against low-income and minority voters.<\/p>\n<p>He has filed a lawsuit trying to overturn the new law. (It was filed before anyone thought about the coronavirus\u2019 impact on an election.)<\/p>\n<p>Brinson-Bell said she doesn\u2019t know how much all-mail voting would cost.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe would have to coordinate that with those companies that do the printing for the counties,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd what that cost would look like. And (we\u2019d have to have) consideration with our legislative leaders about is prepaid postage something that they would want to consider. So, not saying that&#8217;s the route we need to go, but those are the kind of numbers that we&#8217;ll be pulling together.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What About Other Elections In Times Of Crisis?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Matt Dallek is a political historian from George Washington University who studies the intersection of social crises and political transformation.<\/p>\n<p>He said there isn\u2019t one good analogy to the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, but history \u201cdoes sometimes have echoes or rhymes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The most obvious parallel is 1918, when the Spanish flu took hold. It killed an estimated 675,000 people in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>Its peak fell in October, just before the midterm election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Spanish flu did curtail a lot of political activities that year,\u201d Dallek said. \u201cPoliticians stopped holding some rallies. There were no longer at torchlight parades. Voters sometimes were told to wear masks when they came out to vote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But people did show up at the polls. By election day, the flu was subsiding, and less than a week after Election Day, World War I ended.<\/p>\n<p>Turnout was about 40%, down from 50% turnout in the previous midterm in 1914.<\/p>\n<p>Dallek said it\u2019s hard to tell whether flu was to blame since turnout continued to fall in the following two midterms.<\/p>\n<p>As far as political conventions, there was the 1860 Democratic National Convention \u2013 or conventions \u2013 which broke down over slavery. The first convention in Charleston, South Carolina, failed to come up with a nominee. There was a second convention two months later in Baltimore, when the Southern states ended up leaving the convention and nominating their own candidate.<\/p>\n<p>And four years later, while the war was still on, Abraham Lincoln made the decision to furlough Union soldiers so they could go back home and vote in the general election.<\/p>\n<p>And in recent memory, there was 9\/11. That fell on a primary day in New York, which included a mayoral primary in New York City. All the votes cast that morning didn\u2019t count.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd so it really had a disruptive effect,\u201d Dallek said. \u201cBut I think it&#8217;s also a good example because we see the ways in which election officials and elections, they&#8217;re certainly imperfect, they can be deeply flawed, but they also can be resilient, right, where people can ultimately have some confidence in what occurred and the elections were held a couple of weeks later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/how-to-listen\/\">Click\u00a0here<\/a> to subscribe to the Inside Politics podcast (and to give the podcast a rating\/review in your favorite podcast app).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Want more? You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wfae.org\/newsletters-0#stream\/1\">sign up here<\/a> for our weekly Inside Politics newsletter, written by Steve Harrison.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Have a question about the 2020 RNC in Charlotte? Ask us below. <\/em><br \/>\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/modules.wearehearken.com\/wfae\/embed\/4617.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Will the coronavirus derail the Republican National Convention in August? And what about its impact on the general election? Will North Carolina shift more to voting by mail, even after the General Assembly last year eliminated the role of third parties in helping voters request mail ballots? And how have other national emergencies \u2013 like &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/wfae.report\/insidepolitics\/can-charlotte-cancel-the-rnc-over-coronavirus-and-will-we-see-a-surge-in-mail-voting\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-podcast"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Can Charlotte Cancel The RNC Over Coronavirus? 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