2020 General Election Preparations

On July 22, 2020,Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. At the hearing, “2020 General Election Preparations,” Clarke noted how the COVID-19 pandemic was forcing US citizens to choose between casting their vote, or their health and well-being. Clarke called attention to the stark racial inequities and effects of the pandemic, as African American, Latino, and Native American communities, who disproportionately live in poverty, feel the greatest impact.

While Congress did provide $400 million to states for election assistance through the CARES Act, there was still a great deal of further relief that was needed. 

Clarke indicated that during the 2020 primary election season:

• Voters in Georgia did not receive their absentee ballots on time;
• Black and Latino voters in Pennsylvania encountered long lines and a militarized police presence at the polls; and
• The number of polling places in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was reduced from 180 to five.

Clarke called on Congress to provide an additional $3.6 billion to sufficiently fund the general election. This funding would allow election officials to provide poll workers with an adequate amount of personal protective equipment, pay for more poll workers and facilities, and provide pre-paid return postage on absentee ballots. Other election reforms the Lawyers’ Committee sought were expanding voter registration so it could be completed online and on election day, no excuse absentee voting, and an expansion of early voting.

Read the full testimony here.