Think tank estimates $2 billion cost to carry out November election during pandemic

It would cost the U.S. up to $2 billion to adjust the country's voting processes in ways that would allow November's election to go on, even if the coronavirus pandemic persists, according to a new think tank study.

The cost would come from implementing nationwide changes like universal voting by mail, expanded online voter registration and increased public health safeguards at polling places, the authors at the Brennan Center for Justice estimate.

The analysis comes as the pandemic wreaks havoc on the primary election calendar, with several states opting to postpone their contests weeks, if not months, to slow the spread of the disease.