Florida formally asked the federal government for $20.2 million designed to help the state make coronavirus preparations for the 2020 elections.

Florida formally asked the federal government on Friday for $20.2 million designed to help the state make coronavirus preparations for the 2020 elections.

“We are requesting the full amount of the award, $20,253,853, at this time. We will use the funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or internationally, for the federal 2020 election cycle,” Secretary of State Laurel Lee said in a letter to the federal Election Assistance Commission.

Lee said the money would help ensure “the health, safety and well-being of voter sand the election workforce including poll, workers, and provide for fair accessible and secure elections.”

Lee, an appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis, is Florida’s top elections official.

The Florida allocation comes from $400 million Congress authorized as part of a coronavirus response package that became law at the end of March.

Most states already have requested their shares of the money, and on Wednesday, Craig Latimer, president of the Florida Association of Supervisors of Elections, wrote to DeSantis asking for action quickly because the 67 county elections officials are already preparing for the Aug. 18 primaries and nonpartisan elections for School Board.

One holdup was how to come up with the required 20% state match, which works out to $4 million. The Division of Elections in Lee’s office has been tallying up coronavirus-related spending at the county level before the presidential primary, which the federal government counts toward the state’s share.