Kevin Johnson and Yuval Levin WaPo oped:

There is no easy way to avert such problems. The management of elections inherently raises concerns about politicization, with each party worrying that the other will try to manipulate the rules to gain advantage. We have been involved in Democratic and Republican politics, respectively, and we know electoral reforms don’t come easy.

But there are two kinds of steps that responsible leaders could take now to at least contain the danger without falling into partisan combat. The first is simply to speak to the problem in public. Elected officials and candidates — as well as journalists, commentators, scholars and others — should talk frankly about the challenges of running an election during a public health crisis, prepare the public for the possibility that we will not have results on election night, and that this does not mean that the results will be tainted when we do get them. Election officials must be given the time they need to count every vote.

Second, Congress can take a simple step to provide those officials with that time, particularly when it comes to the presidential election. Election Day, Nov. 3, should not be changed. But electing our president involves a series of steps following that day, which take place on a schedule established by law, not by the Constitution, and which Congress can adjust for this year’s special circumstances.