LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The midterm elections are only one week away, and voters have no shortage of information about the candidates and opinions to consider. However, a national paper shortage may cause problems for last minute campaign mailers and physical ballots. 

U.S. elections need roughly 30 million pounds of paper reams for midterms according to ABC, and election officials are worried that they could run out of ballots, envelopes, and voter registration forms. 

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One of the greatest reasons for the shortage is supply chain snags as a result of COVID-19.  During the shutdowns, many people transitioned to a largely paperless way of existence.  Paper mills opted for more on demand shipping materials while relying on stockpiles to fulfill regular paper orders. 

“We’re all just collectively crossing our fingers and hoping that the supply chain works just fine,” said Ricky Hatch, county clerk and election administrator for Weber County, Utah.

The biggest concern is editing mistakes or last-minute changes to a local ballot requiring a large-scale reprint. “That’s when the [shortage] could manifest itself,” Hatch said.

In January, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission warned state election officials of “unprecedented demand” for ballot paper, with longer than normal order lead times, and a risk that last minute orders may not be able to be fulfilled. 

A report by PaperMoney’s 2022 showed that a number of paper mills closed their doors in 2021 and in 2022.  Most notably the Dunn Paper Mill in Port Huron closed after 98 years of service and the Battle Creek Graphic Packaging paper mill international closed in May of 2022 laying off 200 of its employees. 

Two weeks ahead of Election Day, Nov. 8, more than 1.8 million absentee ballots have been requested by voters and 771,967 absentee ballots have been submitted by Michiganders according to michigan.gov.  This leaves roughly 58% of absentee ballot recipients to send them back into the polls or choose to vote in person by 8 pm on Nov. 8.