Biden’s Student Loan Plan Risks Vexing Voters With Bureaucracy

President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loans for qualified borrowers could help score him points with progressives and young voters while fulfilling a promise he made when running for office.

Yet there is risk that the political benefit is snuffed out by challenges ranging from a frustrating information-gathering process to understaffing at government offices and loan servicers.

Those threats are more acute because of the plan’s design: It requires most people to opt in via application, rather than receive forgiveness automatically. That helps the Biden administration enforce an income cap for eligibility, but ...