Newsweek: HOW THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS FORCING YOUR STATE TO MAKE IT EASIER TO VOTE

Newsweek: HOW THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IS FORCING YOUR STATE TO MAKE IT EASIER TO VOTE

"I think this pandemic will force a national conversation about making sure that all eligible voters can have their voices heard," said Aaron Scherb, director of legislative affairs at the nonpartisan government watchdog Common Cause. "Hopefully some of these reforms won't be temporary ones but permanent ones that will last after this pandemic."

s the coronavirus pandemic continues to upend the 2020 election, many states have taken action to expand voting access amid the global health crisis.

Calls for alternative voting methods have increased after the disastrous election in Wisconsin last week, where voters were forced to go to the polls in-person despite the fact that the state was under a stay-at-home order. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez called the situation “unconscionable” in an interview with Politico on Monday morning.

Several legislators are pushing for more mail-in and absentee voting, and on Monday, Former First Lady Michelle Obama announced a new push to make it easier to vote by mail, register online and expand early voting. The initiative comes from her voter participation group When We All Vote, which she formed in 2018. …

“I think this pandemic will force a national conversation about making sure that all eligible voters can have their voices heard,” said Aaron Scherb, director of legislative affairs at the nonpartisan government watchdog Common Cause. “Hopefully some of these reforms won’t be temporary ones but permanent ones that will last after this pandemic.” …

Democrats tried to include a nationwide mandate to allow every registered voter to mail-in ballots during the election in the historic $2 trillion coronavirus relief package passed by Congress in March but the measure was rejected by Republicans.

Democrats, however, were able to get $400 million in funding for local election offices to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic but advocates say that it’s not nearly enough to safeguard the 2020 election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has warned it will take at least $1.6 billion to prepare for November amid the pandemic. Pelosi has said she hopes the next phase of coronavirus-related legislation includes vote-by-mail provisions.

“That’s just a drop in the bucket,” Scherb said of the $400 million allocated to help states change their election processes. “That limited funding, unfortunately, leaves many states to fend for themselves.”