Impact of COVID-19 on the 2020 Election, Census & Civil Service
By: Philanthropy For Active Civic Engagement, Pace
Tags: Civil Service, Census, Coronavirus, Democracy, 2020

Photo Credit: Jeff Kowalsky/Getty

This is a pivotal year for American democracy, as we are in the throes of a presidential election cycle and a decennial census at the same time — all while trust in our government and institutions is declining.

If the stakes were not already sky high, we are now in the midst of a global pandemic that is threatening American lives, weighing heavily on our healthcare system, and doing lasting damage to our economy.

To better understand the impact that the coronavirus pandemic is having on democracy, PACE organized our second call this month with the Democracy Funders Network (the first was focused on implications for philanthropy). The call served as an opportunity for foundations and funders to learn from experts about COVID-19’s impact on democracy — specifically the census, the 2020 election, and the government and civil service’s response to this crisis.

The discussion was informed by Amber McReynolds of the Vote at Home Institute, Kristen Clarke of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Kiki Jamieson of the Fund for New Jersey, and Max Stier of the Partnership for Public Service.

While we started the conversation anxious about the potential of the pandemic to upend our democracy, the solutions-focused conversation left us feeling cautiously optimistic about the potential to not only shape the upcoming elections and the census, but to understand whether some of these efforts could improve the way these systems function in the long term.

Here are our top 3 takeaways from our conversation about COVID-19’s impact on democracy:

1. Despite challenges, it has never been easier — or more important — to complete the census.

Even with the threat of coronavirus, it has never been easier to complete the census, given it can be completed online this year (in addition to options for mail and phone response). And arguably, the public health, education, and economic impacts the virus has and will continue to wreak, underscore the importance of a fair and accurate count to support the distribution and allocation of public and private resources alike.

This year’s census was already facing some unique challenges, which are now greater in light of the pandemic. Outreach strategies that have historically been effective in reaching hard-to-count populations now need to be reevaluated given the increasing need for social distancing and limiting person-to-person contact. The timeline of the pandemic was especially harsh on the census’s timeline, and many of the institutions that have been tasked with assisting the count are struggling with their own existence and operational struggles during this unique moment in time.

To help address this, deadlines have been extended and neighborhood outreach dates have been pushed back to account for future planning related to the pandemic. Additionally, the Census Bureau has been thinking strategically about how to adjust outreach strategies to meet the CDC recommendations for social distancing. New trainings for field staff are being developed and media strategies are being redesigned so that marketing efforts can shift towards digital, texting, and social media-focused campaigns, though it’s increasingly important to make sure digital divides and access don’t leave people out.

One specific suggestion that rose to the top was for funders to consider investing in nonprofits that operate in communities that are labeled “hard to count.” Counting these communities is of utmost importance to the census, and organizations that already have trusting relationships in their communities are a promising place for funders to invest. These can include worker centers, immigrant rights groups, faith communities, and community action and social service agencies. Funders can also consider emergency grants for census outreach in their rapid response efforts to combat the virus.

2. Philanthropy has an opportunity to help ensure safe, fair, and accessible 2020 elections.

From voter education to voter registration and early voting, absentee voting, and vote by mail — opportunities exist to ensure fair elections this cycle, but bringing these solutions to life requires enhanced support, expertise, and care. Funders are exploring ways to help.

There is no doubt that this public health crisis complicates the 2020 elections and increases concerns of voter suppression that were already top of mind for many organizations focused on election access. The most recent stimulus package for coronavirus relief that was passed by Congress last week includes $400M in funding to states for election assistance. While some critics say that is far from enough to ensure fair elections, the focus now turns to the states to ensure they can effectively implement processes and reforms to ensure expanded voter access in 2020.

Some initial tips for ensuring that elections take place without a hiccup during this pandemic include making sure the polls have the necessary resources like latex gloves, sufficient numbers of healthy poll workers, and safe social distancing measures in place.

But to ensure that the 2020 elections are equipped to take place successfully no matter the circumstances, funders need to think aggressively beyond these initial safety measures to significantly increase voter education and registration, as well as on efforts to open avenues as is prudent for voting. These can include early voting and thoughtful vote by mail practices that ease challenges for voters and also minimize opportunities for bias in the process.

The importance of instilling trust and confidence in this election is paramount — both that the election will be administered fairly and that it’s safe to participate in it, whether in person, absentee, or by mail. Some communities have historically been skeptical of vote by mail, so experts suggested that testing messaging language and using terms like “automatic ballot delivery” could be one step toward building confidence. Additionally, it was recommended that a centralized approach to vote by mail infrastructure be implemented in each state to ease pressure on localities, automate verification to remove biases, and ensure the safety, surveillance, and accuracy of absentee and vote by mail counting overall.

Finally, folks discussed the need to ensure that in-person voting be preserved and language access supports and services — especially for naturalized immigrant and tribal communities, and those needing verbal assistance — be maintained and prioritized to ensure fair and equal access for all voters.

When it comes to opportunities for philanthropy to advance some of these ideas to strengthen our elections, ideas included supporting widespread voter education campaigns, exploring partnerships with election officials so that private resources can complement public investment in our elections, and also resourcing grants for postage and equipment for vote by mail efforts.

3. It’s incredibly important for the federal government to get its response to this crisis right — but the responsibility doesn’t stop with them.

The federal government workforce is facing leadership, technological, and managerial challenges in its response to the coronavirus crisis. The need for social distancing has put enormous pressures on a government infrastructure that is unprepared and unaccustomed to remote teleworking and that lacks the technological expertise to address the issues that are fundamental to success during this critical time.

Instead of dragging out the challenges facing the government today, however, we focused this conversation on ideas for addressing these challenges and taking steps to improve the government’s response at all levels, and its ability to lead into the future.

Straightforward ideas like offering leadership coaching, crisis management training, boosting morale, and increasing collaboration and resource sharing across government agencies were suggested as having a large impact on the ability of the government to function. A large number of federal employees live and work outside of DC, so supporting these types of supports for them may be a unique opportunity for place-based, state, and local funders. The Bipartisan Policy Center has been collecting resources with specific tips and suggestions for governing and legislating during the pandemic.

Other suggestions for improving the government’s response to COVID-19 included increasing accountability mechanisms and supporting Congress in providing appropriate oversight of other branches of government. Additionally, large-scale changes like improving the technological capability of the federal government and advocating for broad system reform — as recommended in the recent release of the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service’s final report — were recommended as long-view mechanisms for improving the government’s response to crises.

The task ahead of us is not easy. We have a bumpy path forward to ensuring our democracy is strengthened and our elections and census are protected, but there is a distinct role for philanthropic funders to play to support efforts that are already underway. It’s up to us to continue to support nonprofits on the front lines of these efforts to ensure election access is preserved and expanded, our census counts are accurate, and our government is positioned to respond to this crisis and other future obstacles we may face.