A Federal Spending Package responding to the New Coronavirus Pandemic will include $400 Million to help States' Election Administrators, but some Fear it will Not be Enough to Prevent Chaos in November 2020.

That Figure is still a Fraction of the $2 Billion the Brennan Center for Justice estimated is necessary for States to prepare for a Surge of Voters Casting Ballots by Mail and to ensure Safe In-Person Voting.

Election Officials are Already scrambling to Adjust to the Pandemic, Postponing Primaries, and Stressing Absentee Voting Options so Voters can Avoid polling Places. To Curb the Spread of the virus, Public Health Officials have Recommended gatherings not Exceed 10 People. Even without a Federal Mandate, Election Officials are still expecting a Surge in Voters Requesting to, Mail-In or Drop-Off, their Ballots in November.

Officials are also in need of Additional Resources, such as Cleaning Supplies to Disinfect Polling Places. And they are Expecting a Shortage of Poll Workers. Those Workers tend to be Senior Citizens, who Appear to be more Vulnerable to Life-Threatening Illness from the Virus. What we know now is that Election Administrators are going to be looking at Increased Vote-by-Mail, probably in Every Jurisdiction in the Country, and with that Increase, and Additional Steps to make sure that Voting in the Polling Place can also be Safe for Voters and Poll Workers, there are going to be Additional Unanticipated Costs.

Wendy Weiser, Director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Democracy Program at New York University’s Law School, said Tuesday that a $400 Million Dollars from Congress would be “woefully inadequate” to Cover those Costs.

Much of the Brennan Center’s $2 Billion Estimate stems from an Expansion of Voting-by-Mail. That could Cost States up to $1.4 Billion because they will need Additional Equipment and Supplies to Print the Ballots, Mail them to Voters with Self-Sealing Return Envelopes with a Security Code, Process Returned Ballots, and Install the Tracking System so Voters will know their Ballots were Counted. Much of that Estimated Cost, between $400 Million and nearly $600 Million, stems from Postage Alone.

There are some Early Signs that Voters are already opting to Vote by Mail. The Wisconsin Election Commission announced Tuesday that it had so far Received a Record Number of 554,000 Absentee Ballot Applications ahead of its April 7th Elections: the Presidential Primary, a State Supreme Court Race, and Local Contests. A Commission Spokesman could Not provide a Cost Estimate for Distributing and Processing Absentee Ballots because Individual Municipalities Cover those Costs.

On Tuesday, Georgia provided a Preview of the Price Tag facing States trying to Encourage Voters to Mail in their Ballots. Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced that All of the State’s 6.9 Million Voters would receive Absentee Ballot Applications in the Mail ahead of Georgia’s May 19th Primary. That could Cost an Estimated $10 Million.

“Multiply that by 50, and that’s just for mailing ballots,” Scherb of Common Cause said in a Tuesday Interview. “I think the $2 billion [Brennan Center] estimate is probably on the conservative side.”

Weiser said States simply do Not have enough Resources to Cover the Costs to Manage an Increase in Mail-in-Ballots and Secure Polling Places come November. “They can’t do it without Congress,” she said.

With just over Seven Months until November Election Day, Hovland said he is concerned that Congress is Running Out-of-Time to Send more Funds to States. He noted that Congressional Staffers have told the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) there could be Additional Funds in Subsequent Spending Packages. The Problem is that it could take Several Months for State Officials to Bolster their Ability to Process Mail-In Ballots because they would need to Buy New Equipment and Train Staff. “The time is now, or it’s certainly within the next few weeks, to be able to have the time to make those purchases, implement that equipment, be familiar with how you can use it,” Hovland said.

Scherb also noted that Congress must Act Quickly because States have to Contend with a Struggling Global Economy. “It takes states time to procure some of this equipment, especially as the supply chain is disrupted around the world,” he said. “So just to be able to ramp up or to plan for it takes several months at least.”

Weiser said there is still Time for States to Adjust before Election Day, but there isn’t much Time to Spare. And she said a Failure to provide States with Resources could have Disastrous Results.

If States don’t Expand Voting by Mail, Voters who are Quarantined or Concerned about Leaving their Homes may Not be able to Vote. A Shortage of Poll Workers could Cause Long Lines at Poling Places, Increasing the Risk of Infection. A Lack of Equipment to Track Absentee Ballots could Result in Lost Ballots. And a Lack of Equipment to quickly Count Absentee Ballots could Lead to Missed Election Result Deadlines.

“Election officials have said that six months is a tight time frame to reconfigure their election infrastructure, but it’s doable,” Weiser said. “Any less than that — we’re bracing for significant meltdowns and disenfranchisement.”










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