OLYMPIA — Amid rising concerns that the upcoming 2020 elections may be cancelled due to COVID-19, Secretary of State Kim Wyman asked Governor Jay Inslee and legislative leaders Thursday to immediately appropriate a 20% match to obtain election grant funding allocated to states in the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The CARES Act provides $400 million in election grants to help states prepare for the 2020 elections. In the letter, Wyman asks leaders to provide a $1.7 million match so Washington can obtain $8.3 million to help county election officials prepare for the August primary and November general election.
“We have a duty to hold every election we conduct to the same principles, ensuring elections are accessible, secure, fair, and accurate. As I have previously explained, this pandemic seriously impinges on election officials’ ability to maintain these essential standards,” wrote Wyman. “Unlike the April election in which 1.1% of our voters will be eligible to participate, the August and November elections will affect each of Washington’s 4.5 million voters. It is imperative we act now to prepare.”
Read the letter here.
