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By Ryan Moser and Cailtin Sherman

Our current crisis has made it clear that Gov. Phil Murphy has the best interests of New Jerseyans at heart. His decision to conduct local elections on May 12 entirely by mail shows that. Every registered voter will automatically receive their ballot and can return it without paying for postage.

His more recent decision to delay our primary elections until July 7 does as well. Unfortunately, his plans to continue that election with in-person voting, rather than opting for universal vote by mail, puts our health and our democracy at risk.

As we saw in Wisconsin, attempting to hold an in-person election in these times not only risks a public health disaster, but may also damage the legitimacy of the results. The majority of our poll workers are in high-risk groups, and reducing the number of polling locations to lower their risks means more crowding and longer lines. On the other hand, we know that the risk of contracting COVID-19 from mail is minimal, and that universal vote by mail, though not perfect, increases voter participation.

With New Jerseys additional window of time, and with federal election security funding from the CARES Act, Gov. Murphy must make every effort to ensure voters have safe options to cast their ballots securely and with confidence. To achieve this, the Hudson County Progressive Alliance calls on New Jersey to invest in a universal Vote By Mail system, ease barriers to requesting absentee ballots, and increase local election workforces.

Gov. Murphy originally supported moving to vote by mail but seems to have changed his mind recently. This change of heart comes after public comments from some prominent political leaders. Recently, David Wildstein of the New Jersey Globe reported that Hudson County Democratic Organization Chair Amy DeGise is against a universal vote-by-mail primary in Hudson County. She claims that it is not in the culture in Hudson, because our strongest voting blocs are not going to vote by mail.

At a time when the culture of all our institutions -- from our schools and churches to our very streets -- is being forced to change, we cant let appeals to the way weve always done things get in the way of maintaining health and safety.

She went on to claim that those voters who are likely to vote by mail are those who dont typically vote. The participation of such voters must seem like a bad thing to DeGise. We beg to differ.

DeGises resistance to vote by mail seems little more than another attempt by the Democratic Party establishment of Hudson County to assure that their chosen candidates win primary elections, this time by limiting safe, secure options for voters. Such voter suppression tactics are expected from Republicans, such as those who caused the disaster in Wisconsin. They are surprising from a self-branded progressive like DeGise.

Vote by mail gives access to many voters who are not normally able to get to the polls: those with mobility issues, those who work multiple jobs, and those who simply struggle to balance the demands of family and work. In our current world, this includes those who worry about contracting a potentially fatal virus from a crowded polling place.

None of us should have to choose between our health and our democracy.

Responding to similar critiques on Twitter, DeGise claims that she advocated to postpone the election, but keep in-person voting, because vote by mail does not ensure safety and that the cognitively and visually impaired, seniors, (and) non-English speakers ... all have issues with vote by mail.

However, both the CDC and the WHO have explained that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 through the mail is low. In addition, many states that have universal vote by mail set aside times, including Election Day, for voters who need assistance to cast their ballots in person. Further, vote by mail allows seniors, non-native English speakers, and other groups to take the time to review their ballots at home, or alongside a friend or loved one who can offer assistance.

DeGise is right that universal vote by mail will not magically solve accessibility issues for all voters. However, if we act now, we can create a vote-by-mail system that will work for New Jersey.

This starts with changes to our current mechanism for requesting mail-in ballots. Right now, the application to receive a ballot in the mail must be printed and mailed to the clerks office. However, many people do not have access to a printer at home. We need an online application system so that people displaced by COVID-19 can easily update their information and receive their ballots where they are now, even if that is not where they are registered to vote.

In order to handle the increased pressure that this will put on our local governments, the state must invest in local Boards of Elections so they can significantly increase their workforces. Raising public awareness, tracking requests, and mailing and tabulating final votes, in addition to offering in-person assistance to those who may still need help, will be a monumental task.

To have all this ready by July 7, we urge Gov Murphy to make needed investments now in these reforms to vote by mail, and for our local leaders like Amy DeGise to embrace them.

The final word from DeGise on this issue is that she wants to ensure (the) entire enfranchisement of (her) entire community. We think thats a great idea. And we think that vote by mail is a safe and powerful first step toward making that happen.

Ryan Moser of Jersey City and Caitlin Sherman of Weehawken are members of the Hudson County Progressive Alliance.

Send letters to the editor and guest columns for The Jersey Journal to jjletters@jjournal.com.

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Vote by mail is the best choice for health and democracy | Opinion - NJ.com