Every election, Americans head to the polls to exercise their most fundamental right – the right to vote. Unfortunately, Republicans at the state and federal levels have launched an unprecedented attack on voting rights. Over the past few years, measures have been introduced by Republicans in state legislatures across the country that would make it harder for millions of eligible voters to register or vote. This summer, House Republicans unveiled a funding bill that would shut down the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), which was established by the Help America Vote Act in 2002. The EAC helps states share and implement best practices in voting technology and provides resources to help protect voter data and keep voting accountable.
In addition, President Trump continues to make unsubstantiated claims that millions of Americans voted illegally in the last election, and he has launched a commission to suppress voting and exclude millions of eligible voters from casting their ballot. The commission is led by a state official known for purging voter rolls and making ballot access more restrictive, and one of the first acts of the commission was to demand Americans’ private information, which could be used to intimidate voters and restrict their right to vote. Already, there have been reports of some voters de-registering in order to protect their personal information from being taken by the Trump Administration.
House Democrats will not stand for these partisan efforts to hinder access to the ballot. In June, House Democrats reintroduced the Voter Empowerment Act in the House of Representatives to ensure equal access to the ballot for every eligible voter by modernizing our voter registration system to help more Americans participate and taking steps to eliminate deceptive practices that deter voters from casting their ballots. House Democrats have also introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore the voting rights protections struck down by the Supreme Court in the flawed Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder.
Democrats continue to urge House Republican leaders to bring these bills to the Floor so that we can assure all Americans that their right to vote will be protected.