Think tank estimates $2 billion cost to carry out November election during pandemic
March 19, 2020
It would cost the U.S. up to $2 billion to adjust the country's voting processes in ways that would allow November's election to go on, even if the coronavirus pandemic persists, according to a new think tank study.
The cost would come from implementing nationwide changes like universal voting by mail, expanded online voter registration and increased public health safeguards at polling places, the authors at the Brennan Center for Justice estimate.
The analysis comes as the pandemic wreaks havoc on the primary election calendar, with several states opting to postpone their contests weeks, if not months, to slow the spread of the disease.
"There is no question that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a difficult and, in many ways, unprecedented challenge to America’s elections," the analysis says.
The costs include up to $1.4 billion for every state to ensure universal voting by mail, according to the preliminary estimate. Of that, as much as $593 million would be spent on additional postage costs, while $240 million would go toward bolstering absentee ballot processing.
In addition, the study says it would cost almost $272 million to maintain existing in-person voting systems, including for people without access to mail or the internet. The bulk of that figure, an estimated $140 million, would hire more poll workers and boost their pay.
The study estimates that another nearly $86 million would need to be funneled to states to "adopt and bolster online voter registration systems," while $252 million would be spent on raising public awareness.
Source: https://www.politico.com/
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