This week in COVID-19 voting news

What it means for access to the ballot box during the pandemic

U.S. PIRG

National

There are some signs of hope that Congress will provide much-needed money to help states prepare for the general election in November. The $400 million dedicated by the CARES Act falls far short of the estimated $4 billion experts say is needed to hold safe elections during COVID-19 — including more mail-in ballots, voting machines and personal protective equipment. Some states, including Kentucky and Georgia, say they have already spent most if not all of those initial funds. With the election less than four months away, there’s little time to waste for Congress to pass the funding and for states to have enough time to adequately prepare.

As states and counties make changes to their election systems in response to the pandemic, they must also be sure to communicate changes to minimize confusion among voters. Already we’ve seen this happen with primaries held over the summer, where voters weren’t sure where they could vote in person, whether they’d be getting a mail-in ballot, or how they needed to fill out their mail-in ballot. 

Additionally, according to an NPR analysis, at least 65,000 ballots have been rejected this primary season because they arrived past the deadline — even though they were sent before Election Day and often through no fault of the voter. Especially given the fact that U.S. Postal Service delays will become more likely due to funding cuts, states should accept any ballot for counting so long as it is postmarked by Election Day.

Finally, as Joe Ready notes in this Washington Examiner piece from last week, because of the massive influx in vote-by-mail, “The public needs to have an expectation that they’re not going to tune in to CNN and get answers at 11 or midnight on Election Day.”

Illinois

Nearly 119,000 Chicago voters have applied to vote by mail for the November election, which already breaks the city’s record months before Election Day. This continues a trend we’ve seen in most states across the country, as voters are choosing the safest voting option during the pandemic. 

Kansas

As the state prepares for its primary election on August 4, mail-in ballot requests far outpace the total from 2018 — over 240,000 this year compared to 51,000. The state has set up dropboxes at most county elections offices where voters can drop off mail-in ballots. And for those that didn’t request a mail-in ballot on time or who want to vote in person, Kansas is keeping polling places open.

Maine

Maine held its statewide primary elections Tuesday, and again, absentee ballot requests broke records. The primary was delayed from its initial June date because of COVID-19, and Gov. Janet Mills issued an executive order allowing voters to request an absentee ballot up until Election Day. 

Michigan

After the secretary of state announced she would mail absentee ballot applications to all registered voters, the state is seeing record numbers of mail-in voting ahead of its August 4 state primary. Already, the state has issued more than 1.4 million mail-in ballots for the election, compared to a little more than 410,000 in 2016. Additionally, for the November general election, Wayne County has approved a resolution to use CARES Act funding to set up 60 drop boxes around the county, where voters have the option of dropping off their absentee ballot rather than put it in the mail.

Texas

Texas also had an election this week, and despite the fact that it was a primary runoff — which typically garners low turnout — mail-in ballot requests were at “presidential” levels. However, due to COVID-19, significant problems did occur that need to be fixed before November. In Travis County, about 4,600 voters incorrectly filled out their vote-by-mail applications, leaving them to make the unacceptable decision between risking their health or not exercising their right to vote. And because of the various lawsuits around expanding voting by mail in the state, many voters were confused about the new rules and the process. Our state affiliate TexPIRG’s study from last month outlines what counties have done to prepare and where they have work to do for November.

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U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups, is a consumer group that stands up to powerful interests whenever they threaten our health and safety, our financial security, or our right to fully participate in our democratic society.

U.S. PIRG affiliates: Arizona PIRG, CALPIRG, CoPIRG, ConnPIRG, Florida PIRG, Georgia PIRG, Iowa PIRG, Illinois PIRG, MASSPIRG, Maryland PIRG, PIRGIM, MoPIRG, MontPIRG, NCPIRG, NHPIRG, NJPIRG, NMPIRG, Ohio PIRG, OSPIRG, PennPIRG, RIPIRG, TexPIRG, WashPIRG, WISPIRG.

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