Statement of Jana Morgan, Campaign Director for the Declaration for American Democracy 

As Congress considers another stimulus to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the Declaration for American Democracy, a coalition of nearly 150 organizations from the civil rights, environmental, faith, good government, reproductive health, social justice, and other communities, calls on Congress to ensure that our elections and the right to vote are protected during this crisis. Failure to act may lead to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Americans being disenfranchised this year. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge to our elections, and Congress must immediately act to ensure that all Americans can have their voices heard and votes counted.

As Congress considers which policies to enact in the next stimulus, there are many tried and tested solutions that could be included. Key solutions contained in the For the People Act (HR 1/S 949), such as automatic voter registration, same-day (also known as “Election Day”) registration, online voter registration, vote-by-mail, expanded early voting, and no-excuse absentee voting, are just some of the many transformative and responsive policies that should be included in the next emergency supplemental bill. These reforms would help ensure that voters can safely, securely, and efficiently exercise their right to vote without potentially spreading or catching coronavirus.

We commend Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Senator Klobuchar, Senator Wyden, Chairwoman Lofgren, Representative Sarbanes, and many other congressional reform champions for fighting to ensure that all eligible voters can have their voices heard and votes counted in light of the current threat posed by COVID-19.