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Maine Groups Push More Federal Money For Election Precautions

Willis Ryder Arnold
/
Maine Public File
Congress has appropriated $400 million for grants to the states, but several groups argue that is not enough to make voting easier and safe.

A coalition of diverse groups is launching a major lobbying effort this weekend to get Congress to provide more funds to bolster election security and make it easier to vote.

Congress has already appropriated $400 million for grants to the states, but several groups argue that is not enough to make voting easier and safe.

Anna Kellar is with the Maine League of Women voters.

“We all are calling on Congress to support the $3.6 billion in the Heroes Act, and we hope that our congressional delegation, our senators, can stand strong behind that.”

The groups want every state to send absentee ballots, along with postage-paid return envelopes, to every registered voter. They also want online voter registration and personal protective equipment for poll workers. Some states have implemented some of these provisions, but so far no state is implementing them all.

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.