National Proposals and Debate
U.S. Sen. Amy
Klobuchar (DFL-MN)
March 13, 2020
The
Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot
Act would expand early in-person voting and no-excuse absentee
vote-by-mail to all states and would reimburse states for additional
costs in administering elections during the coronavirus pandemic
Announcement comes as Louisiana officials
announced they are postponing their April presidential primary to June
WASHINGTON – Amid the coronavirus
pandemic, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the
Senate Rules Committee with oversight jurisdiction over federal
elections, and Senator Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate
Finance Committee, announced plans to introduce legislation that would
ensure Americans are still able to vote by expanding early in-person
voting and no-excuse absentee vote-by-mail to all states, and allowing
voters who did not receive an absentee ballot, to use a printable
ballot currently only provided for military and overseas voters.
“Americans
are
facing
unprecedented
disruptions
to
their
daily
lives
and
we
need
to
make
sure
that
in
the
midst
of
this
pandemic,
Americans don’t also
lose their ability to vote,” Klobuchar said. “Today Louisiana
announced that the state will postpone their primary election, and many
election officials have expressed concern regarding how this public
health emergency will affect upcoming elections. We must take critical
steps to ensure that states have the resources they need to implement
early in-person voting and no-excuse absentee vote-by-mail programs. As
Congress prepares to provide states with medical and economic relief,
we should also act swiftly to pass my legislation to ensure that every
American has a safe way to participate in our democracy during a
national emergency.”
“Without
federal action, vulnerable Americans are going to have to choose
between casting a ballot and protecting their health. Vote-by-mail is a
time-tested, reliable way for Americans to exercise their
constitutional rights, and the right answer to respond to this
crisis. I’m proud to be working with Senator Klobuchar to help
states pay for the ballots, postage and equipment they’ll need to set
up emergency vote by mail,” Wyden said.
Natural disasters and public health
emergencies are occurring more frequently and with greater impact than
ever before, often affecting the ability of victims and first
responders to vote on Election Day. The lack of voting options in many
states and sufficient emergency ballot procedures can leave many voters
disenfranchised. COVID-19, hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and the
wildfires in the Western United States are recent examples of the
damage and disruption that public health emergencies and natural
disasters can cause. We have already seen limited incidences of poll
workers not showing up on Election Day this year, due to fears of the
coronavirus. The recent tornadoes in Tennessee on Super Tuesday also
greatly impacted voting in the state. With fears of catching the
coronavirus, the priority must be to reduce the number of people voting
in person at any given time, by allowing for early voting, and for all
people to be able to vote from their homes using vote-by-mail. As a
last result, voters who did not receive their absentee ballots will
also need access to a printable mail in ballot that has so far only
been made available to military and overseas voters.
Emergencies in the proximity of an
election day can have a lasting impact as polling places deal with
flooding, lack of power, or other unsafe conditions. The Natural
Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act (NDEBA) represents a commonsense
solution to ensuring the 2020 elections, and future elections, are
resilient to emergencies and that we are protecting the voting rights
of those in harm’s way as well as emergency responders.
The bill
would specifically:
- Expand early in-person voting and no-excuse absentee
vote-by-mail to all states.
- Require states and jurisdictions to establish a publicly
available contingency plan to enable eligible Americans to vote in the
case of an emergency and establish an initiative to recruit poll
workers from high schools and colleges.
- Amend the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee
Voting Act (UOCAVA) to allow voters who did not receive an absentee
ballot for the 2020 election to use a printable Federal Write in
Absentee Ballot (FWAB) including a secrecy envelope and mailing
envelope. Require that states which offer printable absentee ballots
with listed candidates under UOCAVA, allow voters who did not receive
an absentee ballot for the 2020 election to use such a ballot.
- Amend the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) to charge the
Election Assistance Commission (EAC) with creating a domestic version
of the FWAB that can be used starting in 2022.
- Create categories of eligible Americans who can use the
domestic FWAB including:
- Those who requested an absentee ballot from the
State or jurisdiction where they are registered to vote but never
received it.
- Those who reside in an area or state effected by a
natural disaster or emergency declared by the government of that state
or area, including a national emergency.
- Those who are absent from their voting jurisdiction
on the day of the election because they are an emergency responder or
volunteering in response to a natural disaster or emergency.
- Those who are hospitalized or expect to be
hospitalized on the day of the election.
- Require that all states provide self-sealing envelopes
with prepaid postage to all voters who request a voter registration
application, absentee ballot application, or absentee ballot. And
require that all states offer and accept online absentee ballot
applications.
- Direct all states to use envelopes with an Intelligent
Mail barcode (IMb) to allow voters to track their ballot for the 2020
election and for following elections, create a federal domestic ballot
tracking program with the necessary funds to implement such a program.
- Require absentee ballots to be counted if postmarked or
signed before the close of the polls on Election Day and received on or
before the day on which final vote totals are required by law to be
submitted to the State for an official canvass of the election.
- Authorize funds necessary sums to reimburse states for
the cost of implementing the Act, such as providing prepaid postage and
purchasing additional ballot scanners. Provide $2 million in additional
funds to the EAC for supporting states in implementing the Act.
Throughout her time in the Senate,
Klobuchar has been fighting to protect voting rights for all Americans.
In January, Klobuchar and Casey introduced the Accessible Voting Act of 2020, legislation
to
remove
barriers
to
voting
for
seniors,
people
with
disabilities,
Native
Americans,
Alaska
Natives,
and
those
with
limited
English
proficiency.
Wyden has long pushed to expand
vote-by-mail nationwide to improve accessibility for seniors, working
families, college students and others who might have difficulty voting
in person. He has introduced universal vote by mail legislation every
Congress since 2006. Wyden was the first senator elected in an all-mail
election in 1996.
Last year, Klobuchar and Brown
introduced the SAVE VOTERs Act to
amend the National Voter Registration Act to
clarify
that
a
state
may
not
use
someone’s
failure
to
vote
as
reason
to
remove
them
as
a
registered
voter.
Also
last year, she introduced the Register
America
to Vote Act, legislation to ensure that
every state implements a secure process to automatically register
eligible citizens to vote on their eighteenth birthday. The bill also
directs states to allow voters who have been automatically registered,
or who were previously registered to vote, to update their address
through the day of the election and authorizes a $325 million grant
program for states to implement their automatic voter registration
programs and to improve their election security. Klobuchar has also
partnered with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) to ensure that servicemembers
know that their votes are being counted. Klobuchar’s provision in last
year’s NDAA with Cornyn would authorize funds for the Department of
Defense and United States Postal Service to conduct a study to
determine what is necessary to scale a ballot tracking program to all
members of the Armed Forces and overseas voters.
Klobuchar also leads the Students Voicing Opinions in Today’s Elections (VOTE) Act which
would
create
a
pilot
program
to
educate
high
school
seniors
about
registering
to
vote
and
help
get
them
registered
and
the Same
Day Registration Act to require
states to allow people to register to vote on the same day as the
election. In March 2018, Klobuchar and Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Joe
Manchin (D-WV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and John Kennedy (R-LA) introduced the Support our Military Spouses Act. This
legislation would reduce confusion and ensure military spouses do not
have to establish new legal residency after every military reassignment.
###
U.S.
Sen.
Ron
Wyden
(D-OR)
March 11, 2020
Wyden Introduces Bill to Protect Voters and Elections Against
COVID-19 Risks by Mandating Emergency Vote-By-Mail
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today
introduced a bill to address the risks to American voters and elections
posed by the coronavirus (COVID-19), and other outbreaks of infectious
diseases or natural disasters.
If 25 percent of states declare a state of emergency related to
COVID-19, another infectious disease or natural disaster, the Resilient
Elections During Quarantines and Natural Disasters Act of 2020 would
require all states to offer an option for voters to mail in or drop-off
a hand-marked, paper ballot.
“No voter should have to choose between exercising their constitutional
right and putting their health at risk,” Wyden said. “When
disaster strikes, the safest route for seniors, individuals with
compromised immune systems or other at-risk populations is to provide
every voter with a paper ballot they can return by mail or drop-off
site. This is a nonpartisan, commonsense solution to the very real
threat looming this November.”
Currently 34 states and the District of Columbia offer “no excuse”
absentee voting by mail. Even if the 25 percent threshold is not met,
governors have the discretion to trigger provisions of the bill within
their state by declaring a state of emergency. The bill also requires
states to offer postage prepaid self-sealing envelopes to voters. The
Resilient Elections Act provides $500 million to fund emergency state
vote-by-mail efforts.
“Protecting the integrity of elections and the ability of all citizens
to participate freely in them is central to the functioning of our
republic," said Alexandra Chandler of Protect Democracy, a
nonpartisan nonprofit working to prevent American democracy from
declining to a more authoritarian form of government. "This
legislation is an important step forward in safeguarding our elections
and the democratic participation of all eligible voters, including
those who may be most vulnerable during a crisis. That's not a partisan
priority, it's an American one.”
A one-page summary of the bill is available
here.
A copy of the bill text is available
here.
###
one-pager
The Resilient Elections During Quarantines and Natural Disasters
Act of 2020
Unless Congress acts quickly, the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has
the potential to
significantly disrupt the 2020 primaries and general elections. The
virus will likely impact voters
who cannot leave their homes, while possible large-scale quarantines,
whether mandatory or
self-imposed, at the recommendation of health experts, may also disrupt
elections.
According to the Election Assistance Commission, 58% of all poll
workers in 2018 were over
60, the prime at-risk population for COVID-19.
The Resilient Elections During Quarantines and Natural Disasters Act of
2020 addresses the
serious threat to our democracy posed by COVID-19 by requiring states
and localities, within 30
days, to create and publish a plan to operate their elections in the
event that large numbers of
voters or poll workers have been subjected to a mandatory quarantine or
a self-quarantine at the
advice of government officials or health experts.
In the event that 25% of states declare an emergency related to
COVID-19, another infectious
disease, or a natural disaster, this act requires all states to:
● Offer all registered voters the ability to vote by absentee ballot.
Currently, 34 states and
Washington D.C. either allow any voter to request an absentee ballot or
vote entirely by
mail. However, 16 states still have restrictions on who can request an
absentee ballot.
● Offer voters the ability to submit electronically a request for an
absentee ballot rather
than having to do so in person or with a paper form.
● Offer voters the choice of receiving their blank absentee ballot
electronically to print at
home and return by postal mail. Currently, print-at-home ballots are
only offered to
overseas and military voters.
● Accept absentee ballot requests up until 5 days before an election
(for blank ballots sent
to the voter by mail) and 1 day before the election (for electronic
print-at-home ballots)
● Accept ballots that have been postmarked by election day - which will
be important in the
event that mail is delayed due to large numbers of postal workers being
quarantined.
Even if the 25% threshold has not been met, the provisions of the act
can be triggered within a
state at the discretion of a governor by declaring a state of
emergency. The provisions of this act
will apply to all federal elections held until 180 days after states
declare that the emergency has
ended.
The act also requires all states to offer postage prepaid self-sealing
envelopes to voters who vote
absentee in order to reduce the risk associated with infection at post
offices, and provides $500
million in grants to states to cover the cost of postage and for
high-speed scanners necessary to
process large numbers of absentee ballot
Donald
J.
Trump
for
President,
Inc.
April 18, 2020
There’s
Evidence of Vote-by-Mail Fraud, Despite Media Indifference
The national
news media routinely and condescendingly dismiss any concerns
about voter fraud, including state vote-by-mail provisions. Even
the New York Times, in a story intended to belittle any claims of voter
fraud, was forced to admit that “
experts
say
that
the
mail
voting
system
is
more
vulnerable
to
fraud
than
voting
in
person.”
Under the guise of responding to the coronavirus crisis, Democrats have
attempted to enshrine into law practices that are ripe for fraudulent
voting. In her version of coronavirus relief legislation, Nancy
Pelosi called for “
mandatory
early
voting,
mandatory
voting
by
mail,
and
the
legalization
of
California-style
ballot
harvesting.” This is in legislation
that was intended to protect people who had lost their jobs in the
virus crisis.
There are many examples of voter fraud by mail:
- In
the
Rio
Grande
Valley
in
Texas, at
least
nine
people were charged with voter fraud involving mail
ballots and “vote harvesting,” often victimizing the poor and
vulnerable.
- In
Troy,
New
York,
a
political
operative
was
convicted
for
stealing
and
fraudulently
submitting
absentee
ballots.
He
said he
selected
low-income
voters because they were less likely to
complain or notice they had been victimized.
- In
Swissvale,
Pennsylvania,
one
resident registered
to
vote
seven
times using the same address and received seven
separate ballots in the mail.
The Heritage Foundation has
documented
more
than
1,000
cases
of
voter
fraud.
“Democrats and the mainstream media always scoff at claims of voter
fraud, but then completely ignore evidence from across the country,”
said Brad Parscale, Trump 2020 campaign manager. “The obvious reason is
that Democrats are just fine with the possibility of voter fraud. And
many in the media just see the world their way.”
DNC
War
Room
April 9, 2020
Trump Lies About Vote-By-Mail To Suppress The Vote
During press briefings on the coronavirus pandemic over the last two
days, Trump went on rants about vote-by-mail in which he made several
false claims about this increasingly essential way to ensure Americans
can exercise their fundamental right to vote.
TRUMP: Mail ballots are “very dangerous” and “fraudulent in many cases.”
TRUMP: “Now, mail ballots — they
cheat. Okay? People cheat. Mail ballots are a very dangerous thing for
this country, because they’re cheaters. They go and collect them.
They’re fraudulent in many cases.”
REALITY: There is no widespread voter
fraud in the U.S., and millions of people already vote-by-mail without
incident.
CNN: “Trump is lying about voter
fraud. Multiple studies over the years have confirmed that there is no
widespread voter fraud in this country. Additionally, Democratic and
Republican state officials routinely oversee elections where millions
of people vote-by-mail without systematic problems.”
NPR: “Tammy Patrick, a former
election official in Arizona and now a current senior adviser with
Democracy Fund, told NPR in 2018 that government officials should
resist the urge to write off a voting method that can make voting more
accessible (and in the current case safer) for thousands of people
because of a few isolated incidents.”
TRUMP: Mail ballots collected by third parties are “forgeries.”
TRUMP: “The mailed ballots are
corrupt, in my opinion. And they collect them, and they get people to
go in and sign them. And then they — they’re forgeries in many cases.
It’s a horrible thing.”
TRUMP: “You look at what they do,
where they grab thousands of mail-in ballots and they dump it. I’ll
tell you what — and I don’t have to tell; you can look at the
statistics — there’s a lot of dishonesty going along with mail-in
voting — mail-in ballots.”
REALITY: States can implement
commonsense measures like ballot tracking, pre-paid postage, and ballot
drop boxes to improve ballot security.
ProPublica: “While all types of
voter fraud are rare, including mail-in ballot fraud, Patrick said,
states must take necessary precautions. She said states should prepay
for return postage, accept ballots that are postmarked on or before
election day, and ensure there are convenient locations for voters to
drop off their own ballots.”
NPR: “Experts, especially those
with experience in the handful of states that vote completely by mail,
say states can implement things like ballot tracking, as well as
pre-paid postage and ballot drop boxes which eliminate the need for
voters to hand over their ballots to a third party.”
TRUMP: Democrats didn’t raise safety concerns about in-person voting
during the coronavirus pandemic until Trump endorsed a candidate in the
Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
TRUMP: “And as soon as I endorsed
him, they wanted to move the election. They didn’t want to move the
election. As soon as I endorsed him, the Wisconsin Democrats say, ‘Oh,
let’s move the election to two months later.’ They didn’t mind having
the election until I endorsed him, which is very interesting.”
TRUMP: “Now they talk about, ‘Oh,
safety, safety.’ Well, it was 15 minutes after I put out an endorsement
that they said, ‘We have to move the election.’ They didn't want to
move the election before that. The other thing they wanted to do —
which is crazy — at the end of the election, they wanted to have one
week for proxies to come in or mailed ballots.”
REALITY: Democrats called for expanded
vote-by-mail weeks before Trump’s tweets on the Wisconsin Supreme Court
race.
SENATE DEMOCRATS on March 16:
“The best way to ensure that this virus doesn’t keep people from the
ballot box is to bring the ballot box to them. We must allow every
American the ability to vote by mail. … On Monday, we will introduce
the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020 to help election
officials meet this pandemic head-on. Our legislation will guarantee
every voter a secure mail-in paper ballot and help states cover the
cost of printing, self-sealing envelopes, ballot tracking and postage.”
DNC AND WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
on March 18: “The lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Democratic National
Committee and the Wisconsin Democratic Party seeks to expand access to
voting for those who are worried about their health but want to
exercise their right to vote. The lawsuit aims to extend the election
and mail-in voter registration deadline from Wednesday to April 3 and
extend the deadline for absentee mail-in ballots to reach the municipal
clerks' offices.”
DEMOCRATIC LEADERS on March 21:
“States should automatically mail ballots to registered voters; voters
should be able to mail back those ballots for free or with prepaid
postage by the date of the primary; voters should also be able to drop
off ballots at predesignated locations, as is the case in Arizona, or
have someone else drop it off for them; and ballots should be accepted
as long as they are postmarked by Election Day and received within 10
days of the election.”
TRUMP on April 3: “Highly
respected Justice Daniel Kelly is running for the Supreme Court in the
Great State of Wisconsin. … He has my Complete Endorsement!”
TRUMP: Trump claimed he opposed vote-by-mail because he wanted
Americans to “proudly display” themselves when voting.
TRUMP: “It shouldn’t be mail-in
voting. It should be: You go to a booth and you proudly display
yourself.”
REALITY: Trump himself voted by mail
this year.
TRUMP: “I think mail-in voting is horrible. It’s corrupt.”
Q: “But you voted by mail in Florida’s election last month, didn’t you?
TRUMP: “Sure, I can vote by mail for the —”
Q: “So how do you reconcile that?”
TRUMP: “Because I’m allowed to.”
TRUMP: Trump admitted that he opposed vote-by-mail because it hurt
Republicans when more people were able to vote.
TRUMP: “They had things — levels
of voting that, if you ever agreed to it, you’d never have a Republican
elected in this country again.”
TRUMP: “Republicans should fight
very hard when it comes to state wide [sic] mail-in voting. Democrats
are clamoring for it. Tremendous potential for voter fraud, and for
whatever reason, doesn’t work out well for Republicans.”
REALITY: Trump’s not the first
Republican to admit that voter suppression helps his party win
elections.
Wisconsin GOP Congressman: “And
now we have photo ID, and I think photo ID is going to make a little
bit of a difference as well.”
Pennsylvania State House GOP Leader:
“Voter
ID,
which
is
going
to
allow
Governor
Romney
to
win
the
state
of
Pennsylvania: done.”
Pennsylvania GOP Chair: “We
probably had a better election. Think about this: We cut Obama by 5
percent, which was big. A lot of people lost sight of that. He beat
McCain by 10 percent; he only beat Romney by 5 percent. And I think
that probably photo ID helped a bit in that.”