Top state and local election officials on Wednesday begged Congress to appropriate more election funding ahead of November to address COVID-19 challenges.
Congress sent $400 million to states to address COVID-19 election concerns as part of the stimulus package signed into law by President Trump in March, called the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Election officials testified during an Election Assistance Commission (EAC) summit on Wednesday that those funds were running out.
“It’s looking like I spent close to 60 percent of my CARES Act funding on the primary election,” Jared Dearing, the executive director of the Kentucky State Board of Elections, testified. “To put that in context, we are expecting turnout to go from 30 percent, which was a record high for a primary election, to as much as 70 percent.”
Dearing noted that only around 2 percent of ballots in Kentucky are typically cast through mail-in voting, but that number increased to 75 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, a change he said would require further funds to address.
“Where we procure these funds and how much this is going to cost is incredibly concerning,” Dearing said.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) also testified in favor of the federal government sending more funds, but argued the funds should be sent with fewer strings attached.
“Clearly we welcome more resources, the goal here is we want more stable and consistent funding, because we have COVID, we may be facing COVID in the next elections,” Pate said.
Georgia and Wisconsin were among the states to face challenges during their primaries earlier this year. Many Wisconsin residents were forced to vote in-person after a last-minute Supreme Court decision meant absentee ballots received after Election Day would not be counted, while voters in certain precincts in Georgia faced hours-long lines due to malfunctioning machines, fewer voting locations, and confusion over mail-in voting.
Lynn Bailey, the executive director of the Board of Elections in Richmond County, Ga. testified that the costs associated with holding the primary increased by over 60 percent due to the need to purchase security equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) for poll workers. She also noted that her county paid poll workers hazard pay, increasing expenses.