From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, county election officials across Pennsylvania have been working around the clock to prepare to conduct free, fair and secure elections amid this unprecedented crisis.
Last month’s primary election was the first crucial test of Pennsylvania’s election infrastructure amid the COVID-19 pandemic and we could not be prouder of the work that’s been done to ensure every eligible voter can cast a ballot safely and securely in this difficult time.
One important lesson that the run-up to the primary has taught us is that conducting elections amid a global pandemic is possible — but it is costly. Even if the pandemic is contained this fall, it will certainly continue to have an impact on election administration, and additional congressional funding is urgently needed to safeguard our democracy and protect public health as this crisis continues.
A recent report by the Alliance for Securing Democracy, Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, Pitt Cyber and the R Street Institute confirms what local election officials in Pennsylvania have seen firsthand: The funding provided by Congress for election administration through the CARES Act was vital, but it will not be enough to protect election integrity and public health in November’s general election. The report found that Pennsylvania’s $14.2 million federal grant would cover only 16% to 18% of what is needed to conduct safe, healthy and fair elections under pandemic conditions in 2020. And that county election officials will be responsible for the vast majority of these additional election administration costs.
The most significant challenge we have faced is also the most expensive: the surge in the number of voters sending absentee and mail-in ballots to election offices around the state. Before the pandemic, election officials had expected a modest uptick in absentee/mail-in voting due to the passage of Act 77 in 2019. Because of the pandemic, Pennsylvania voters blew these estimates with about 1.8 million voters requesting a ballot by mail.
Make no mistake: The spike in absentee/mail-in ballots is a heartening sign that voters are choosing to exercise their right to vote without risking their health, relying on a time-tested method that has been proven secure. Mail balloting has been deeply embedded in the American electoral system since the Civil War, allowing millions of Americans to cast ballots from home, from overseas or even from the battlefield.
But managing this massive influx of mail ballots requires a significant influx of resources. From purchasing additional equipment and office space to recruiting new staff, county election officials are facing mounting costs that will not be sustainable through the fall, especially as state and local revenues dry up.
Absentee/mail-in ballots are not the only driver of increasing coronavirus-related election costs. County election officials are also committed to providing safe and sanitized in-person voting options for Pennsylvanians. The Department of State provided much-appreciated personal protective equipment supplies to keep our voters and our poll workers safe, but more will be needed this fall and these costs can be significant.
Pennsylvanians can be assured that county election officials are committed to conducting safe, free and fair elections under any circumstances for the citizens we serve. The primary showed that. But we can’t do it alone. Congress must provide the funding needed to deliver it.
Jeff Greenburg is the Mercer County director of election and voter registration.
First Published: July 27, 2020, 9:00 a.m.
