House Dems include $3.6 billion for mail-in voting in stimulus bill

House Democrats have included $3.6 billion in election funding as part of the $3 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill they rolled out on Tuesday.

The funding is meant to help states address new challenges posed by holding elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as expanding mail-in and early in-person voting.

At least 50 percent of the funds would be required to go to local governments to help administer elections, and states would have until late next year to access the funds.

The House is expected to vote on the stimulus package on Friday, but GOP senators have declared the bill “dead on arrival” and the outlook for any election funds passing in the Republican-led upper chamber remains unclear.

Senate Republicans have broadly pushed back on calls to immediately approve more stimulus money, saying lawmakers should weigh the impact of the trillions in spending already approved by Congress.

Previous election funds: The coronavirus stimulus package signed into law by President Trump in March included $400 million for elections. Democrats have pushed for a total of $4 billion to be allocated for elections, with the addition of the new funds proposed Tuesday totaling to this amount.

State officials on both sides of the aisle have supported Congress sending more election funds in recent months, as states increasingly face the threat of bankruptcy from the coronavirus crisis.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has consistently supported vote-by-mail funding, along with political figures including former first lady Michelle Obama and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).