ST. LOUIS– Supply chain shortages have impacted everything from automobiles to cell phones, grocery store shelves and military hardware production. Election officials are concerned that the ballot box is the next battleground, and not because of the will of voters, but because of a threat to a voter’s ability to vote.

An international shortage of paper has at least one state’s top election official asking the federal government to invoke the Defense Production Act to make sure there’s enough paper to carry out elections.

“This shortage has already caused difficulties for the Elections Division in securing adequate paper supplies for the absentee ballots, absentee ballot envelopes and other critical paper-based items needed in anticipation of the November election,”  Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin wrote in an April 25 letter to U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, who represents the 13th district covering parts of the Metro East and is also the ranking member of the Committee on House Administration. The committee has oversight of election-related issues in Congress.

The Texas Tribune reported in January that the Texas Secretary of State’s office had to limit requests for voter registration forms due to the shortage.

Davis held a roundtable meeting with vendors and election officials in March. Since then, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan commission established in 2002, has advised local election officials to have contingency plans in place:

  • Ordering envelopes four months ahead of the November 8 general election

  • Use envelopes from previous elections if allowed by law

  • Use alternative colors if available

In Missouri, a spokesman for the Secretary of State’s Office said the shortage has forced the use of a different kind of paper stock to publish its “Blue Book”, the state’s official manual, but has not heard problems from local election officials who have had trouble getting ballots printed.