Exclusive: Dem introduces new stimulus plan so states don’t ‘have to choose between secure elections and Medicaid’

Democrats in Congress are hoping to rectify what they call an error in the $2 trillion COVID-19 aid package that makes essential election funding inaccessible to some states and a headache to procure for others. 

The race to the presidential elections are well underway, and states now have less than six months to completely revamp long-used voting processes and systems to protect their citizens in the wake of an unprecedented and deadly global pandemic. But things like vote-by-mail initiatives and personal protective equipment for poll workers are expensive, and these costs come alongside rapidly falling local revenues due to the COVID-19 shutdown. 

Congress stepped in to help by including $400 million for election security funding for states in the March CARES act. But the money didn’t come for free: In order to receive the additional funding, states have to match 20%. Some officials say the match rate is onerous, if not impossible, to meet. 

Today, Congressman Joe Neguse (D-CO) will introduce the Secure Our Elections Act, which retroactively removes the 20% match requirement. He hopes this will be added to the next stimulus bill, which house Democrats are currently finalizing their version of.

“States shouldn’t have to choose between cutting Medicaid or other important social safety net programs and preserving the security of their state elections,” said Neguse in an exclusive interview with Fortune. “That’s unconscionable, and Congress should remove that obstacle.”