File photo taken on Aug. 18, 2020 shows the United States Postal Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

"People don't want to take the health risks of going to crowded polling places. Instead, they prefer casting their ballots by mail and avoiding any possible health problems," says Darrell West.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26  -- As the coronavirus continues to throw a wrench into Americans' everyday lives, it has, perhaps predictably, impacted the process in which Americans choose the president.

Many Americans do not feel safe voting in person, standing in sometimes hours-long lines with complete strangers who could potentially infect them with the coronavirus.

Democrats are thus pushing hard for mail-in voting, which means that voters would mail in their ballots instead of voting in person. But Republicans are vehemently against it, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying it will lead to widespread voter fraud.

The issue also reflects voters' attitudes toward the virus, as Democrats believe more strongly in shuttering schools and businesses, whereas Republicans tend to downplay the dangers of the virus and argue that life must go on. They also point to voter fraud that has occurred due to mail-in ballots in places such as Patterson, New Jersey, among other cities.