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1 1 (April 23, 2020)

handle is hein.crs/govdadp0001 and id is 1 raw text is: i% 'N\ r Mail Voting and COVID-19: Developments and Potential Challenges April 23, 2020 Most voters fepoited voting in person in 2018, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has complicated in-person voting for certain subsequent elections in 2020. Feafth risks associated with close contact havc pmmptod concerns about some of the standard interactions involved in preparing for and conducting in- person voting. States ha% e taken various steps to address such concerns for some of their 2020 elections, including postponing election dates, offering curbside voting, and relocating polling places. One common response has been to expand mail voting, in which voters receive ballots by mail rather than in person. Expanding mail voting could help address health risks but may come with its own challenges. Whether or how mail voting should be expanded and what role, if any, Congress should play in this policy area have, been subjects of debate in the 116th Congress. Expansions of Mail Voting in Response to COVID-19 All states make mail voting available to at least some voters, although how they make it available and to whom varies. A few automatically send ballots to all registered voters while most require voters to request mail ballots. Among states with ballot request requirements, some allow all eligible voters to request mail ballots while others limit mail voting to voters with an approved excuse. As of this writing, at least 20 states have expanded access to mail voting for certain 2020 elections in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The approaches they have taken to expanding mail voting nciude making it easier for voters to * cast a mail ballot, such as by providing prepaid postage for mail ballot return envelopes or allowing certain individuals, such as family members, to submit voters' ballots on their behalf, * obtain a mail ballot, such as by suspending ballot request requirements and automatically sending ballots to all registered voters; Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11356 CRFS NS GHT Prepare'd for MAembers and C o rm it'e e s c ; C o q g ..es s ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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