The U.S. 2020 Election posed a new topic for Americans to quarrel over; mail-in voting. Does it leave too much room for fraudulent activity? Or is it a reliable way for Americans to vote? 

As the state that has led the way in mail-in voting methods, Oregon provides an example of what can happen when mail voting is used to its fullest caliber. Historically, Oregon holds quite a few firsts. The state held a federal primary election in 1995 as well as a general election in 1996 entirely by mail-in voting. 

Through the rollout of the many programs associated with the mail-in voting system in the past couple of decades, voter turnout and voter diversity in Oregon has only increased.

According to MIT’s Heritage Foundation’s Election Fraud Database, mail-in voting does not favor one political party over another. However, what it does do is make voting convenient for every U.S. citizen, whether they have access to a polling station or not.