Recorded on 5/13/20, Steve Adubato is joined by Pete Oneglia, General Manager and Co-Founder, Insider NJ, to discuss the important role of digital media platforms to inform the public during a crisis and how COVID-19 has impacted voting and the 2020 election.

Pete Oneglia says after the May municipal elections, “It proved to be a good starting point of what the potential effects of having an all vbm (vote by mail) election might be. The general consensus seems to be that in a lot of areas things went well, but there are a lot of questions as to how feasible it is to have everything going through printed ballots by the county clerk and then through the Post Office.”

As November inches closer, we do not know if the 2020 Presidential election will be strictly vote by mail, although it seems very likely. He says, “It’s interesting to think about when you do an all vbm election, that’s always administered by the county level…when you have pretty much the entire voting process going through the Post Office, it adds an even bigger element of the Federal government.” Usually the federal government represents just 20% of the process, but to have it possibly participate in 100% of the process? Oneglia says, “People will have questions.’

Digital media platforms, including Insider NJ, have been focused on COVID-19 for several months now, providing up-to-date information 24/7. Pete adds, “Most of all, people want reliable data and information…with increased engagement also comes increased responsibility.”