Sudden changes to election procedures could lead to long lines and confusion, Hasen said.
“You’ve got to have good planning, and you have to have good messaging. If people don’t know where to go, then they can be disenfranchised,” he said.
States should give voters alternatives like voting by mail in the general election, Hasen said, and lawmakers need to make plans now in order to ensure Americans are ready to vote this fall in case the outbreak continues.
“As you make plans closer to an election, there’s more of a sense that decisions might be made for political gain,” he said. “Better to make the decisions now under the veil of ignorance before we know who might benefit or be hurt by particular changes in election rules.”