Lessons Learned from the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election: Hindsight Is 2020

In this book, leading and emerging election scholars document the steps that state and local election officials took to augment their elections during the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of these changes. Written for academics, practitioners, and election laypeople, this book details what went right, what went wrong, and what we can learn from the 2020 US presidential election. The 2020 election cycle was unique in American history. Held during the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts were made at the federal, state, and local levels to ensure voters could safely access elections. These changes included providing greater access to mail/absentee voting, installing ballot drop boxes, outfitting polling places with protective equipment, and much more. Many of these changes were politicized, with Republicans and Democrats viewing these changes differently.

Contributing authors address how states and localities altered their elections in light of the pandemic; poll worker motivation for working during a health crisis, and how the changes to elections were viewed by election officials; the effects of these changes on whether a citizen decided to cast a ballot, how they voted, and who they voted for; how these changes influenced evaluations of elections, how long voters waited to cast a ballot, and their confidence in the outcome of the election; and, finally, what we can learn about election administration, access, and evaluations from this historic election.