ELECTION SECURITY ALARMS GO OFF

Multiple lawmakers on Monday warned that without boosting mail-in voting and taking steps to shore up election security, chaos could ensue during the November presidential election.

“If Congress and states don’t act immediately, our country could face an electoral Chernobyl this fall,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wrote in a Medium post on Monday.

Wyden, who has been one of the key supporters in the Senate for increasing mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic, pointed to chaos at the polls in Georgia’s primaries last week as an example of what could happen if officials fail to address coronavirus-related election challenges.

Voters in certain Atlanta precincts faced hours-long lines due to malfunctioning machines, fewer polling places and poll workers due to COVID-19 shutdowns, as well as confusion over mail-in ballots. These issues came two months after voters in Wisconsin faced similar long lines during their state’s primary election, with dozens of coronavirus cases traced to the elections in the weeks following.

Wyden emphasized Monday that states should “prepare aggressively for a huge increase” of mail-in ballots, and to prepare from staffing shortages stemming from older poll workers being unwilling to assist during the pandemic.

“A prerequisite to gaining the faith of the people for these solutions is free and fair elections where every eligible American can cast a ballot,” Wyden wrote. “If Americans see a repeat of what happened in Georgia across the country, many will rightfully question whether the results — and by extension, the government itself — are truly legitimate.”

Wyden was not the only lawmaker to warn Monday of potential election challenges in the coming months.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said during a virtual event hosted by think tank New America that he was “very worried” about the November elections.