Protecting the Vote in a Pandemic
FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | April 23, 2020
“The battle to ensure that every eligible voter gets to vote is at the heart of the fundamental role played by the right to vote in our constitutional system of representative government.”
The battle lines are now drawn on the critical issue of whether Congress will provide substantial funds for the states to run safe, secure, and fair elections in November. The funding is needed for states to effectively conduct voting by mail and to implement safe in-person voting.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made clear that the House will take the lead on the next major bill to deliver federal relief for the country in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made clear he will stall the legislation for as long as he can.
Pelosi has said that federal financial support for state and local governments will be a priority in the bill. McConnell has arrogantly and cynically said states should seek bankruptcy protections rather than federal support, which his office called “blue state bailouts.” In fact, many Republican-led states need federal financial support.
Pelosi also has indicated that the next bill, among other important provisions, will include as much as $4 billion in essential federal funding for the states to run their elections under the dramatically changed circumstances caused by the coronavirus.
Many states already provide for voting by mail, but the requirements for obtaining and submitting ballots vary.
For example, in a number of battleground states, including Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and North Carolina, there is “no excuse” voting by mail. But, significant funding is still needed by local election officials in these states to be able to effectively run the greatly expanded voting by mail expected in November.
In addition, funding is needed in order to run safe in-person voting, which is essential to maintain for substantial number of voters.
There is bipartisan support at the local level for additional federal election funding for the states.
Strong resistance, however, has come from congressional Republicans, led by McConnell, who believes that the fewer number of people who vote, the better the outcome for Republicans, regardless of the impact on our democratic values.
The battle to ensure that every eligible voter gets to vote is at the heart of the fundamental role played by the right to vote in our constitutional system of representative government.
McConnell, who is up for re-election in November, must not be allowed to prevail in his efforts to suppress the vote for partisan and self-serving purposes.
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