Mitigation Measures during Elections and It’s Impacts on COVID-19 Pandemic: Sabah State (Malaysia), New Zealand and the United States

Abstract

Background and Objective: Countries all over the world respect the election process asone of the fundamental steps in forming a government. However, the exponential spread ofCOVID-19 has been deeply alarming, with a high number of positive cases and total deaths,forcing World Health Organization to declare it as a pandemic on 11th March 2020. Duringthese unprecedented events, governments have had a tough decision to balance between theconstitutional obligation to hold an election and the safety of the people. As such, electoralcommissions have implemented numerous approaches to allow election to proceed in a safeand controlled setting during the pandemic.Methods: The preventative measures and standard operating procedures in the Sabah stateof Malaysia, New Zealand and the United States elections are discussed, as well as COVID19 post-election situation in respective countries. Innovative approaches and electionflexibilities shall be considered to allow voting in the safest way possible, following the newnormal.Discussion: Nevertheless, countries need to evaluate its strength of public health responsewhen deciding to hold elections due to potential devastating outbreaks following electionsdespite measures taken.Conclusion: The election is a fundamental process in a democracy. Countries are requiredto be flexible and innovative in their approach to hold a safe election. Nevertheless, it maybe prudent for countries with fewer resources and poor pandemic control to postponeelection as a rise in cases will be catastrophic, putting many lives at risk.