The coronavirus and mail-in voting is propelling an accelerated presidential election campaign. Analysts say that puts added pressure on both campaigns.

Battleground states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania, expect millions of voters to cast their ballots at least a month before election day.

Political Analyst William Binning said, "Candidates who have far fewer days to sway voters, as they navigate a presidential election in unchartered pandemic waters. You've got to manage your campaign and try to identify and reach those people who have those ballots, so that is going to take some resources on the part of volunteers and campaigns."

The Deputy Director Mahoning Board of Elections Tom McCabe explained the Ohio Secretary of State would send all registered voters an application for an absentee ballot in September to mail or return their local boards of election.


McCabe emphasized, "You will want to return these as soon as possible. Of course, you can also download those applications online at our website, Mahoning County Board of Elections, or the Secretary of State's office. They can also be picked up at our office, or even at local party headquarters."

David Siders, National Political  Correspondent said, "With poll numbers currently favoring former Vice President, Joe Biden  says early voting presents more of an uphill challenge for President Donald than Joe Biden."

Siders added, "The economy is a mess, and coronavirus continues to rage, these are really tough things for the president. At this point, the electorate is harder or hardened than it was in 2016. There are fewer undecided voters for the candidates to go after, and I think that increases the pressure to move quickly.
We saw today Trump shifting advertising to states that start early and adopted a darker, more ominous tone and effort to persuade urban voters who have run away to come back into the fold. That strategy is not gaining traction. For Trump, it's a bit of a race to define Joe Biden as something more objectionable than voters find him."

Siders emphasized, "We are no where near the 100 days out of the election. We are probably between 50 to 80 days depending on your election. The biggest for Biden is the unknown, most of his appearances are disciplined and controlled. The only risk is something at the debate, or his vice presidential pick, the risk for him is anything that upsets the status quo. There are still many unknowns out there that could impact the race during a year of the unexpected."


Binning added, "Trump could still pull out a Hail Mary pass with an effective COVID vaccine, at the debates, or if Biden selects a vice presidential candidate with skeletons in her closet. that takes away focus on his campaign, and cause people to question him because his campaign didn't catch it."