Preparing for November election needs to happen now

It is not too late yet. But it is getting there. The November presidential election is now less than four months away, but it isn’t yet clear what that election will look like. What we do know is that we don’t want to see a repeat of the April election. In Wisconsin and elsewhere, voters faced long lines at the polls after the number of polling places were reduced due to the coronavirus. For the first time, a majority of voters cast their ballots absentee. But some ballots weren’t delivered or returned in time, and some went missing. That is why it is important the federal government approve legislation to ensure a safe and fair election in November. That means making it easy for local governments to meet surging demand for absentee ballots. It means training for poll workers, PPE’s for poll workers, and perhaps protective shields to help keep voters safe. The House of Representatives passed in May a Covid response bill that provides $3.6 billion to states to help with their elections, but it has yet to be voted on in the Senate. And it likely won’t happen for a couple more weeks. We can’t afford to delay any further. The window is closing. These are extraordinary times, and Congress needs to come up with a way to turn our voting process into a pandemic-ready system so we don’t see a repeat of the mess that happened in the April election.