M
arch 10 is a day I
won’t soon forget.
Classes
had
yet
to be moved online, and I was
clinging to the hope that I would
get to finish my freshman year
in Ann Arbor. Yet, that day, the
coronavirus was not on my mind
— voting was. It was primary day
in Michigan and, like countless
other students, I went to the
polls and cast my vote, proudly
sporting my sticker afterward.
We were fortunate to have our
election that day, as that very
night Michigan was put under a
state of emergency.
However, many other states
were not as lucky. As the threat
of COVID-19 forces millions
of Americans to stay home and
practice social distancing, many
states have postponed their
presidential primaries. Given
that we do not know how long
the outbreak will last, there
are many lingering questions
about whether voting in this
critical election year can take
place as it normally does. One
option being explored is voting
by mail, a unique system that
should be considered not only
during this crisis but as a
possible permanent step toward
more accessible and equitable
voting in the future.
Although it has gained more
attention due to coronavirus,
voting by mail is not a new
concept. Five states — Colorado,
Hawaii,
Oregon,
Utah
and
Washington — virtually hold all
their elections solely through
the mail. In each state, a ballot
is mailed to the address of every
registered
voter.
The
voter
can then fill out their ballot
and mail it in or drop it off at
a certain location. While this
system might sound strange to
those of us who have only voted
in person, the “vote by mail”
system has benefits.
One of the most tangible
benefits is an increase in voter
turnout. Voter turnout in this
country is abysmal. One of the
contributing factors to these
low turnout numbers is the
inaccessibility of the polls for
many people. Many places have
chronic issues of long lines,
with one man waiting almost
seven hours just to vote in
the Texas primary. Even with
shorter wait times, getting to
the polls can still be difficult
for people. Not every person
can find time on a Tuesday to
go to the polls and cast their
vote. This is especially true for
those working hourly jobs. I was
extremely privileged to have an
accessible polling place minutes
from my dorm and to have the
time needed to cast my vote.
The fact that the ballot box is
not as accessible to others is
unacceptable and is why we
must reform our system.
Voting by mail addresses
these issues by allowing people
to fill out and return their
ballot when it is convenient
for them. The impact of voting
by mail on turnout can be seen
in Washington, Colorado and
Oregon: All these states had
2016 voter turnout levels over
the national average of 60.2
percent.
Voting by mail also allows
people the time to think about
who they want to vote for.
Many people are not aware of
every race on the ballot and
may find themselves unsure of
who to vote for when they get
to the polls. Voting by mail helps
solve this problem by allowing
voters the time to research the
candidates and mull over their
options before deciding. I was
reminded of this fact this past
week while voting online for the
University of Michigan Central
Student Government election.
Having access to my ballot for 48
hours allowed for me to research
the CSG candidates, many of
whom I did not know about
previously.
Some may worry about the
issue of voter fraud with non-in-
person voting. Firstly, voter fraud
is not the widespread systemic
issue that some politicians want
you to believe it is. Studies have
shown that the overall rate of
voter fraud is negligible. In many
ways, mail-in voting is safer
than in-person voting. Yes, it is
possible that some people could
submit a ballot that does not
belong to them; however, in doing
so they would be committing a
crime and risking jail time. It is
doubtful that many people would
take this risk, therefore making
fraud in the “vote by mail”
states unlikely.
Voting by mail is safer than
other types of voting because
instead of machines that can
break or that are potentially
vulnerable to hackers, everything
is done on paper. Paper cannot
be hacked and leaves a trail that
makes it easy for discrepancies
to be addressed, ensuring the
integrity of the voting results.
As a pragmatist, I realize
that it is unlikely that even a
pandemic will make us overhaul
our entire voting system. Many
people love casting their ballot
in person and getting their
stickers and are not ready to
give that up. That is why we
should look for a middle ground
in regards to voting by mail by
expanding the use of no-excuse
absentee ballots.
No-excuse absentee ballots
allow for any voter to vote via
absentee ballot without having
to provide an excuse if they
can’t or don’t want to go to the
polls on election day. In 2018,
through Proposal 3, Michigan
implemented this system, which
has made voting more accessible.
We saw a huge increase in the
number of absentee ballots cast
by mail in the March 10 primary
— a true testament to what
happens when voting becomes
more accessible.
Our current voting system
is simply not working for the
majority of citizens. Too many
Americans do not or cannot cast
their votes. Voting by mail is
one of our greatest resources to
help try to solve this problem.
By allowing people to submit
their votes through the mail we
can increase civic participation
in this country and give voters
the time to carefully consider
who they vote for. Although the
coronavirus has brought the issue
of voting by mail to the forefront,
I hope it is viewed as a long-
term solution with the potential
to
be
implemented
beyond
this election cycle. Whether
it
is
instituting
no-excuse
absentee voting in every state or
transitioning toward the highly
successful systems in place in
fully vote-by-mail states, these
changes can help enfranchise
more people.
E
very time I open my closet, I
glance up, look at my neatly hung
cap and gown and look away
in disappointment. The memories I had
hoped to make wearing that outfit are
only a dream now. There was something
so deliriously exciting about buying that
graduation attire — I remember it so clearly.
But now, even looking at it makes me sigh.
It’s been two and a half weeks since
we seniors were told that not only are
our last undergraduate classes turned
remote, but our celebratory ceremony is
canceled. Amid a climate of tension and
the unknown, I have had to quickly say
goodbye to my undergraduate career,
scramble to give my last hugs and continue
with my academics as if a huge rug hasn’t
just been pulled out from under me.
A college graduation ceremony is a rite of
passage, an incredibly symbolic honor and
a much-anticipated event. I now walk past a
bleak and empty Law Quadrangle, wishing
so desperately I had gotten my senior pictures
taken earlier. I walk past my academic buildings
where I had spent so many grudging moments
— only to wish I had appreciated it more. I
found out the news that in-person classes were
canceled after having stepped out of my last
one. I immediately wanted desperately to go
back and enjoy that experience one more time.
There are a myriad of memories and
experiences that are now unable to occur,
an entire bucket list gone unchecked.
With a reminder to be grateful for these
past four years, I comfort myself with the
opportunities I’ve been presented with at
this university, the friends I’ve made and the
knowledge I’ve gained. There is truly never
a time that can echo this experience, and for
me and thousands of others to be ripped from
that closure is disheartening to say the least.
I have been told repeatedly to look
beyond this, beyond my own pain and see
the world’s suffering. And while I am just
as anxious for this trying time to pass for
all of us, I would like to take a moment to
grieve the loss of my graduation and all the
memories that come with it. It is alright
to feel heavy and disconcerted, but all the
while reminding ourselves how lucky we
truly are to have an experience so beautiful,
which makes it hard to step away.
To
all
my
fellow
graduates,
I
congratulate you, I mourn with you and I
celebrate you. Forever, Go Blue!
4A — Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Alanna Berger
Zack Blumberg
Brittany Bowman
Emily Considine
Jess D’Agostino
Jenny Gurung
Cheryn Hong
Krystal Hur
Ethan Kessler
Zoe Phillips
Mary Rolfes
Michael Russo
Timothy Spurlin
Miles Stephenson
Joel Weiner
Erin White
ERIN WHITE
Managing Editor
Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
Editor in Chief
EMILY CONSIDINE AND
MILES STEPHENSON
Editorial Page Editors
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of The Daily’s Editorial Board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
DHRITI DEB | OP-ED
Grieving the loss of graduation
Let’s vote by mail now and in the future
ISABELLE SCHINDLER | COLUMN
Dhriti Deb is a senior in the College of
Literature, Science & the Arts and can be
reached at dhritdeb@umich.edu.
Isabelle Schindler can be reached
at ischind@umich.edu.
G
lobal society is going through
a rather confusing, and even
depressing, time given the recent
outbreak of COVID-19. Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer recently issued a stay-at-home
order for all residents of Michigan, and the
University of Michigan has been strongly
encouraging students to leave Ann Arbor
to return to their homes. Self-quarantine
has become an everyday vocabulary word.
Not many of us have been through anything
remotely close to what is currently happening
in our lives and as we all try to understand and
adapt to these circumstances, social media
culture has been surprisingly helpful. TikTok
and Instagram in particular are promoting
self-quarantine in the most lighthearted —
and therefore perhaps appropriate — way
possible, and at least people are finding some
entertainment while maintaining social
distance. This trend of social media bringing
people together in a virtual way is certainly
worth our attention.
TikTok is one of the fastest growing social
media platforms to date, with more than 1.5
billion downloads worldwide. The Chinese
video-sharing social media application is
dominating the market and continuing to
sweep the Generation-Z population globally
off their feet with its unique filters and
effects. As the pandemic stopped people
from meeting their friends or reporting to
work, TikTokers worldwide took advantage
of this and started to create more content at
home. There are more than 7 billion views on
TikTok videos with “#quarantine” and the
numbers are only expected to grow as the
virus spreads.
Most of such videos capture moments in
the creators’ lives of self-quarantine and are
aimed to be funny. Some videos poke fun
at the online class format most universities
have adopted; in one, a student presents a
Barbie doll instead of their face as a form of
attendance, while another has a computer
graphic aurora in the background to make it
look like he is in Antarctica. Another about
a family enjoying creative dinners from one
of their children also received millions of
likes. More content like this is giving people
who are actively practicing self-isolation
something to laugh about in their now
relatively less eventful lives.
On the other hand, there are some TikToks
that send a rather serious message. People
from areas struck the hardest by the virus,
including Wuhan, China and various parts
of Italy, created videos to let the rest of the
world know how those areas were surviving
and raised alarm to those who might not be
taking the pandemic seriously enough.
Instagram is a more familiar social media
platform for many adults. Ever since the
importance of self-quarantine had been
emphasized by public health authorities
like the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Instagram has put forth a
new trend of its own called “Stay Home.”
Influencers and athletes with millions of
followers started creating new at-home
challenges, such as doing as many pushups as
possible in one story.
A good friend of mine from U-M’s club
soccer team tagged me in a challenge to
juggle a roll of toilet paper as if it were a soccer
ball. These challenges might seem easy and
simple, but as I tried multiple times to make
the best “TP juggling” video, I soon realized
it was one of the best workouts I had done for
the past two weeks. I never went regularly
to the gym during the semester but I love
playing soccer and I tried my best to play for
at least a couple of hours every week until
the self-quarantine. Being on the verge of
sweating for the first time in weeks trying to
perfect the challenge reminded me how it felt
to stay active. An Instagram challenge, which
some might view as pointless, made me think
about ways to not only stay safe but also stay
healthy. It was also a good way to connect
with some of my friends because I got to
nominate the next five users to continue with
the challenge. I never thought I would enjoy
recording myself juggling toilet paper and
posting it for the world to see, but I did.
TikTok was created in China and
Instagram is one of the most used apps
worldwide. Though I have been exposed to
mostly U.S.-made content, I think it is fair to
assume that this trend is widespread across
the entire world. Looking at people having, or
at least trying to have, some fun during such
confusing times was mesmerizing. Social
media and its culture are not only effectively
promoting
self-quarantine
through
informative short videos and simple workout
challenges, but also keeping us mentally alive
with something to laugh about and friends to
talk to — at least through our phones.
Social media culture to the rescue?
MIN SOO KIM | COLUMN
Min Soo Kim can be reached at
kiminsoo@umich.edu.