Countless Americans have died for democracy and the right to vote, but none of them should now have to risk death to exercise it. The coronavirus pandemic led Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and other top state officials to shut down polling places statewide on Monday night, effectively canceling the state’s Tuesday primary elections for now. “During this time when we face an unprecedented public health crisis, to conduct an election tomorrow would force poll workers and voters to place themselves at an unacceptable risk of contracting coronavirus,” he said.

The process was hardly neat and orderly. DeWine first tried on Monday to get the election delayed until June but was rebuffed by a county judge who ordered the vote to take place on time. Ohio Capital Journal reported that county boards of election had already told poll workers to stay home when the ruling came down on Monday evening. A few hours later, the state’s top health official said she would be closing down polling places as part of a state of emergency. The state supreme court then rejected a challenge to the order early Tuesday morning.

There is no reason to believe DeWine was acting in bad faith or with malice; among governors, his response to the pandemic has been seen as the gold standard. But ham-fisted efforts to shut down elections should trouble all Americans, no matter how justified they may be. Almost half of the states are slated to hold primary elections in the next few months, and all of them will be holding the general election in November. Ohio’s experience shows why every state legislature must enact a universal vote-by-mail option as quickly as possible, along with whatever other steps are necessary to safeguard the American democratic process.

U.S. elections are unusually vulnerable to disruption by a pandemic in their current form. Even in the best of circumstances, voters in many states can face long periods of standing in line with their neighbors. Older Americans—the highest-risk group for the coronavirus—disproportionately take part in the process. Voters must share various types of equipment, like voting machines, in common, which is a nightmare from a personal hygiene perspective. And polling places are also typically staffed by a small army of volunteer poll workers. Since most elections are held on Tuesday, those volunteers are typically retirees who don’t need to take time off work to supervise the process.

“The only thing more important than a free and fair election is the health and safety of Ohioans,” DeWine said on Monday night in a joint statement with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. “The Ohio Department of Health and the CDC have advised against anyone gathering in groups larger than 50 people, which will occur if the election goes forward. Additionally, Ohioans over 65 and those with certain health conditions have been advised to limit their nonessential contact with others, affecting their ability to vote or serve as poll workers.”