'We need at least $2 billion, $4 billion is probably what would really democratize our whole system,' the House speaker told reporters.
Democrats are pushing for billions of federal dollars to be included in a fourth economic stimulus package for state elections as the coronavirus pandemic is forcing primaries to be postponed and threatens to impact contests in November.
In the Phase 3 legislation that was passed last week that totaled $2 trillion, $400 million was allocated for state elections. It's unclear whether Pelosi's push for $2 billion includes the previous funding, which has been characterized by election experts as inadequate. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , trailed by reporters, walks to the floor of the House of Representatives in the U.S. Capitol on March 27 in Washington, D.C.It's yet-to-be-determined when Congress will reconvene to address the legislation. April 20 is the earliest possible return date, though it appears that could be pushed back as national social distancing measures have been extended through the month.
Top Democrats who are also pushing for the new money, including House Majority Whip James Clyburn and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio , argued that in addition to the health benefits of avoiding large crowds at the polls, voting by mail could increase turnout and be less susceptible to foreign interference."We ought to make it as easy as we can make it to cast their vote, to participate in this democracy," Clyburn said.
"They had things—levels of voting that, if you ever agreed to it, you'd never have a Republican elected in this country again," he told Fox News on Monday.
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