The Election Assistance Commission’s Vice Chairperson Christy McCormick knows that supply scarcities could cause delays as election officials order the envelopes and paper required for midterm and primary elections. The predicament stems from international supply chain problems and more requirement for paper thanks to the epidemic. It has made ballot vendors concerned about not having their supplies early enough for the upcoming elections.
During a recent Committee on House Administration roundtable talk with election clerks and paper companies about the potential effects of the paper scarcity, McCormick expressed concerns over the matter.
Legislators in Nevada passed a bill in 2021 directing the officials to deliver registered voters mail-in ballots as long as they do not opt-out. Nye County and some other counties also push for elections with 100% paper ballots. Both electoral processes will necessitate the officials to raise the paper supply they need for ballot printouts.
The Office of the Nevada Secretary of State has been aware of the scarcity for months. It has communicated with county officials about the problem and suggested that those officials confirm that their ballot vendors would make the products available in time.
Registrar Of Voters Joe Gloria of Clark County checked with the vendors of his county whether the scarcity would impact the location in printing sample ballots or ballots for this year’s election.
One vendor for Clark County deals in sample ballots, whereas the other offers ballots for mail-in voting and the necessary envelopes for the ballots. Gloria stated that the vendor of the ballots has a policy of making an order in August in regular years. Gloria added that the vendor has already ordered its paper for the election and that there would not be any drastic rate increase.
Primary elections have already begun nationally, whereas the midterms are fast approaching. Therefore, the prospective hiccup has drawn the eye of federal legislators. Committee on House Administration member and representative Rodney Davis brought together paper vendors and election officials in Nevada to address this issue.
Amy Cohen of the National Association of State Election Directors described elections as a process that is paper-driven and is very important. As for Cohen, supply chain problems have been affecting not only ballots but other forms of paper too.
Deputy Elections Director of Utah Shelly Jackson said that she was unconcerned about the larger jurisdictions and counties of her state. Rather, the concerns of Jackson are about smaller offices in Utah that turn to small vendors. As for Jackson, some counties do not know about the paper-related challenges when there is a lack of awareness about the issue.
However, the state’s small counties report that they do not face any shortages. When the Las Vegas Sun contacted them, election clerks from Humboldt, Washoe, Lyon, Lincoln, and Nye counties stated that their counties had been proactive about ordering.
A Clerk from Nye County, Sandra Merlino stated that all vendors of the county actively deal with the issue and that the county has what it needs.
Washoe County Communications Manager Bethany Drysdale stated that her county has talked to its vendors as well as is stocked and ready for the general and primary elections.
Cost Is Perhaps An Issue As Well
During the recent roundtable talk, President of Inland Press Bradley Thompson stated that his company has long been creating election ballots. The press in Detroit usually purchases the essential paper for a year’s election about March. However, it has ordered the product in August 2021 instead to confirm that it arrives in time.
Thompson feels that Inland Press has the commitments that it needs for the 2022 midterm elections while adding that he was unaware of how much it would cost. Thompson stated that he loses some sleep over the matter. At the same time, Thompson has spoken to envelop producers that also face challenges related to the elections. Thompson wonders whether there will be sufficient envelopes to deliver the paper ballots that his press will create for the elections.
Runbeck Election Services’ CEO Jeff Ellington stated that there is a concern about whether the paper will show up until it comes to his company. Ellington has had concerns over the labor scarcity and discovering enough truck operators to distribute the ballots after those are ready.
The paper scarcity is an international issue as Sri Lankan newspapers decided to stop printing. However, many paper mills in the US have closed their operations over the past many years, aggravating the supply issue for American vendors.
During the recent roundtable discussion, PRINTING United Alliance CEO Ford Bowers stated that paper products in the US are more in demand. For instance, people ordered a greater number of items on Amazon, necessitating more material for packaging. Further, Bowers remarked that there has been a 13% increase in book manufacturing last year. Bowers added that it has also constrained the available paper level.
There have been election form amendments in several state legislatures, so county clerks lack extra supply or backstock of ballots. Cohen also stated that some states had to delay delivering cards for registration confirmation to voters as they could not get the maximum paper.
Cohen stated that the US states are focusing on having close associations with their ballot sellers. The paper scarcity is likely to have long-lasting ripple effects, applying to more than one election cycle. Some ballot vendors and election officials are unsure how everything will be over the next few years.
Bowers stated during the discussion that there is unlikely to be a shift in demand as the US is coming out of the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, said Bowers, the US would need to face an issue in the long run.
Roundtable participants highlighted the significance of planning for election officials and them discussing their financing sources due to the spike in costs. The participants recommended solutions like incentivizing paper producers to not only prioritize electoral materials but also confirm that the supply available will be put for the most essential application.