re: $25 million in Stimulus Package to the Kennedy Arts Center

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Coronavirus response includes $400 million in election assistance. Will it be enough?

A sweeping federal spending package responding to the new coronavirus pandemic will include millions to help states administer elections, but some fear it will not be enough to prevent chaos in November.

The enormous spending bill expected to be released Wednesday morning will include $400 million in election assistance, according to two sources who have seen a summary of the bill from appropriators. That figure is still a fraction of the $2 billion the Brennan Center for Justice estimated is necessary for states to prepare for a surge of voters casting ballots by mail and to ensure safe in-person voting.

Ben Hovland, the chairman of the Election Assistance Commission, said on Tuesday before the deal was announced that it is difficult to determine how much federal assistance is necessary to prepare states for November.

“From what I've been hearing from state and local election officials around the country, I think the number is closer to $2 billion," he added.

Election officials are already scrambling to adjust to the pandemic, postponing primaries and stressing absentee voting options so voters can avoid polling places. To curb the spread of the virus, public health officials have recommended gatherings not exceed 10 people.

House Democrats initially proposed $4 billion in election assistance, while Senate Republicans proposed $140 million. Democrats were also pushing for additional provisions, such as requiring states to allow up to 15 days of early voting and provide no-excuse vote-by-mail options.

Elections are traditionally the domain of states, and Republicans had complained that the provisions in the House Democrats’ bill — which were contained in another election overhaul bill the House passed last year that has gone nowhere in the Senate — were an attempt to usurp that power.

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