News Room

Associate Professor Natalie M. Scala standing at the ballot drop box on the Towson University campus about two weeks before the 2020 General Election. Between physical distancing measures leading to long lines to vote in person, mail-in or absentee ballots taking longer to be counted and the threat of foreign interference, there are plenty of factors making tensions rise ahead of November's general election.

Security in Mail Voting featuring Natalie Scala.

Election Day is quickly approaching, just 11 days away. There’s a crucial deadline Friday for Virginia residents planning to vote by mail. October 23 is the deadline to request a mail-in ballot. Your request must be received by the registrar by 5 p.m. This election you do not need a reason to vote absentee or by mail. Once you get your ballot, you can return it by mailing it, emailing it or faxing it to your registrar. The deadline to request an absentee ballot in-person is 5 p.m. Saturday, October 31.

The Presidential Election on Nov. 3 will occur during a global outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Election officials are scrambling to prepare an election that is safe for voters and poll workers in addition to being effective, equitable and accessible. One of the greatest challenges currently facing officials is that many polling locations used for elections are in cramped building spaces that are not equipped for social distancing, possibly leading to a reduced number of voting booths and long voter waiting times.

Five years ago, a team of researchers challenged the conventional wisdom that the fastest-moving line is a single “pooled” line. Instead, the researchers found, splitting the pool into individual lines made them move faster. Now new research from a member of the same team explores why this is so—and where multiple lines or single lines make the most sense.