As long as we’re assessing structural issues that shape our democracy, let’s not forget to keep an eye on the census even as we ask focus on the mechanics of mail-in voting.
In addition to everything else, this election will determine a redistricting — and the census will determine what those elected to Congress will be working with when they begin that project.
Until and unless the Supreme Court forces a fundamental redrawing, this is probably going to be a multi-decade fight: this redistricting will set the terms for the next decade, which might yield a Congress in 2030 that’s willing to consider writing sane district-drawing reform into law.
I’d rather not wait that long to see a change, but I definitely wouldn’t want to let the current problems ossify into accepted reality for another decade.
Colin Steele 