- The coronavirus outbreak has sparked new attempts to expand mail-in voting in preparation for the 2020 US presidential election.
- In 2016, 33 million votes (about 25% of total) were cast via absentee, mail-in voting.
- The March 2020 coronavirus stimulus bill included $400 million for states to allow mail-in voting.
- However, major hurdles to expansion include limited staff (volunteers) and equipment needed to process mail-in ballots in a timely manner.
- Mass mail-in voting could take weeks to process, leading to public frustration with delayed results.
