Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined 26 colleagues in sending a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urging the administration to issue updated and comprehensive guidance on safety measures for both mail and in-person voting to keep voters, poll workers, and election workers safe during upcoming elections. 

“[P]ublic health experts and election officials agree that voting must be made safer through the expansion of early in-person voting, which reduces lines and crowds at polling locations, voting by mail, and the implementation of safety measures to protect election workers and in-person voters. To ensure election officials and voters are prepared to overcome the challenges brought on by this pandemic, the CDC should provide comprehensive and up-to-date public health guidance for voting by mail and in-person voting,” wrote Bennet and his colleagues in the letter to CDC Director Robert Redfield. 

The senators continued: “Republican and Democratic election officials across the country have been clear that this pandemic is affecting their ability to safely administer elections.  Concerns include the ability to adhere to the CDC’s physical distancing guidelines in polling locations and election offices, allowing voters and workers to safely handle voting equipment and machines, and the processing of election mail, including absentee ballots. Given these safety concerns, officials in sixteen states have already postponed their presidential primary elections or transitioned to predominantly mail voting.”

Bennet has repeatedly called for increased funding to protect our elections. In April, Bennet and U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) urged Congressional leaders to make the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act election assistance grants more accessible for states by waiving a requirement that they provide a 20 percent funding match. In a letter to Congressional leadership listing priorities for future relief legislation, Bennet called for significant new support to safely conduct the fall elections. In November, Bennet and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) led 37 colleagues in a letter to Congressional appropriators, urging increased funding for election security. 

In addition to Bennet, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).  

The text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Director Redfield:

We write to urge the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue updated guidance on best practices to keep voters, poll workers, and election workers safe during upcoming primaries and the general elections. Due to the virus’ mode of transmission, public health experts and election officials agree that voting must be made safer through the expansion of early in-person voting, which reduces lines and crowds at polling locations, voting by mail, and the implementation of safety measures to protect election workers and in-person voters. To ensure election officials and voters are prepared to overcome the challenges brought on by this pandemic, the CDC should provide comprehensive and up-to-date public health guidance for voting by mail and in-person voting. 

Republican and Democratic election officials across the country have been clear that this pandemic is affecting their ability to safely administer elections.  Concerns include the ability to adhere to the CDC’s physical distancing guidelines in polling locations and election offices, allowing voters and workers to safely handle voting equipment and machines, and the processing of election mail, including absentee ballots. Given these safety concerns, officials in sixteen states have already postponed their presidential primary elections or transitioned to predominantly mail voting.  We have seen the consequences that the lack of preparation and clear safety guidelines can have in Wisconsin, where voters stood in lines that wrapped around blocks wearing home-made masks and garbage bags as personal protective equipment. Reports indicate that health officials have now linked over 50 cases of COVID-19 to voters who showed up to the polls on election day as well as poll workers. 

While it is essential for states to expand voting by mail, states must also maintain in-person voting to ensure elections are accessible to all. In-person voting is essential for voters with disabilities who need assistive devices in polling locations, voters who need language assistance, and voters who do not have access to mail. Therefore, additional steps should be taken to ensure in-person voting is safe for both voters and election workers. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) has advised states and jurisdictions to follow CDC guidance for election and polling location safety, however, the CDC has not issued comprehensive guidance and has not updated the current guidance since March 27, 2020 – over a month ago.  

 Nearly 20 states are still scheduled to hold presidential primary elections in the coming months, with even more states holding primaries for other federal offices over the summer. Additionally, the CDC has warned that a second and even more severe outbreak of COVID-19 could emerge this fall in conjunction with the flu season, potentially affecting the general election in November.  Updated and more thorough guidance from the CDC will help voters safely exercise their right to participate in the democratic process and enable election officials, election workers, and poll workers to administer our elections without risking their health. No one should have to choose between exercising their right to vote and protecting their health and the health of their loved ones. 

Accordingly, we urge the CDC to take steps to update its recommendations for election and polling place safety and work with the EAC to more thoroughly reflect safety measures that voters, election workers, and poll workers must take to protect themselves and others.