As the virus spreads throughout the country, many of the issues we identified are freshly relevant. Our democracy’s financial shortfall could become a full-on crisis: States and jurisdictions will struggle to meet the demands of the pandemic. Congress last provided states with significant funds after the 2000 election, so aging voting equipment could be replaced. Now cash-strapped states need to greatly expand voting by mail, consolidate polling places and fundamentally reconceive the voting system to ensure voters and poll workers in 2020 can perform their duties without risk to their own or to the public’s health.

And facing an economic downturn, states may soon tighten belts on many nonessential services. Congress must confront this emergency. States need at least $2 billion to assist them in their preparations for this election. The $400 million in the current bill receiving congressional and presidential approval represents a vitally important start but will not be enough to address issues election administrators will face across the country — not to mention in the number of states that will be presidential battlegrounds and have competitive Senate, House, gubernatorial and state legislative races. At this funding level, it will be necessary to allocate resources and ensure their efficient use in the states that most require the funding.

Who will assist with the best, most informed decisions about the spending of these funds? Our country’s elections are conducted in over 10,000 state and local jurisdictions — and in the face of a bewildering maze of federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations. Far-reaching, permanent reform will be impossible to achieve right now. Democrats and Republicans are deeply divided over fundamental issues, like the authority of partisan elected officials and the role of the federal government. But extraordinary measures to shore up professional election administration should attract support across both parties.

Our commission was successful because its membership drew from the business community and local election officials. A similar approach, led by the private sector rather than government, is needed to deal with the current crisis. The commission could be led, for example, by former presidents and supported by organizations like National Association of State Election Directors, the National Association of Secretaries of States, the National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Academy of Sciences. But its members should be people who have actually run elections at the local level. It should also include people from private industry with relevant experience, the military for expertise in logistics and the medical community for knowledge about infectious disease.

With the luxury of time and on a more modest scale, our commission attempted — with a fully bipartisan membership and the support of experts around the country — to supply the kind of assistance needed today. State and local jurisdictions were remarkably ready to have help thinking through the major problems of running elections. Our recommendations, thanks to the work of nonprofit organizations, inspired programs to modernize voter registration and improve the design and management of polling places.