Former Obama health adviser argues voting in-person during the pandemic is relatively safe

Dr. Zeke Emanuel, a bioethicist and former health adviser in the Obama administration who also serves on former Vice President Joe Biden's coronavirus task force as he campaigns for the presidency, wants to get the message out that voting in-person during the coronavirus pandemic is not an incredibly high-risk activity, The Atlantic reports.

Emanuel did not appear to suggest that Democrats should drop their calls for expanded mail-in voting for the November election, but he also said "you don't want people to be disenfranchised by the pandemic, and you should encourage people that it's safe." Emanuel compared in-person voting to grocery shopping, which many people have continued to do in-person throughout the pandemic. He said there's "legitimate concern" about in-person voting, but with the right precautions — people should wear masks and stand six feet apart (it's worth noting there's debate about the efficacy of this distance), and plexiglass should separate poll workers from voters, he said — "we can make it much safer."

Critics would point to the Wisconsin primaries in April that were tied to dozens of COVID-19 cases as a counter, but Emanuel argues the election took place just days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised the public to wear face coverings, and protective equipment for poll workers was in short supply at the time. Since then, Emanuel told The Atlantic, there have been no major outbreaks linked to primaries, even as millions of Americans have voted across the country.

Article continues below

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

For now, though, it looks like the Biden campaign will continue to urge people to consider the multiple voting options available, rather than attempt to assure voters it's safe to wait line, The Atlantic reports. Read more at The Atlantic.

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.