By Dessie Otachliska
The 2020 Presidential election promises to be unlike any in history. The country is still in the midst of a global pandemic, which has already claimed the lives of more than 220,000 people nationwide and created the worst economic recession in recent history. As of October 25, 2020, forty-six states still have some COVID-related restrictions in place. Despite that, COVID infections are rising in thirty-two states, and a potential vaccine remains months away from viability. But this election is unique for other reasons. A week before November 3, it had already become the most litigated election in American history. In the last six months alone, over 414 COVID-related election law cases have been filed in forty-four states. With a substantial number of cases filed in swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, courts have been called to decide contested and timely questions surrounding polling place procedures, deadlines for absentee ballots, and witness and notarization requirements for absentee ballots, to name just a few. The question that will likely remain unresolved for months, if not years, after the election is to what extent such litigation will shape the results of the 2020 presidential election.
