Dear friend,
We need your help right now to protect our democracy from the impact of
the coronavirus.
Voters in four states today are facing a terrible choice: leave their
homes to put public health at risk, or stay home and not participate in
democracy. Ohio was mired in a bitter battle over today's primary that
only got resolved at the last minute. Poll workers are worried about
adequate protection from infection.
We can't let these problems happen in November. The presidential election
is too important to postpone. But we also can't put public health at risk.
Thankfully, there's a solution already in use that can protect both public
health and our democracy: voting by mail.
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden just proposed a bill that would provide every
voter across America with a paper ballot they can return by mail or to a
drop-off site. It's the same process that Oregon and Washington State have
used effectively for years. This is urgent: we're asking for your help
right now to get Congress to pass this essential bill -- before the
November election. Can you help?
[ [link removed] ]Sign the petition and tell Congress: Prevent disruption of the
election. Make vote-by-mail available across America!
I voted by mail in Washington State's presidential primary earlier this
month. It was really easy to do, and I knew I could cast a ballot without
putting anybody's health at risk in the state where the coronavirus first
began spreading in the USA.
But most states don't offer this option. Dozens of states make it
extremely difficult to get an absentee ballot and vote from the safety of
their own home. Given the massive impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we
can't afford to wait until the fall and discover the virus is still a
threat -- and potentially delay the crucial November election.
Sen. Wyden's bill, the Resilient Elections Act, solves this problem and
protects our democracy as well as public health. 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.^1
Most importantly, this bill protects us against any potential efforts to
exploit the coronavirus to augment elections for political gain. It
would ensure the elections go forward as planned this fall, as voters will
be able to cast ballots safely.
They can also vote securely. And vote-by-mail also renders unnecessary the
voter ID requirements and restrictions on the number of polling places
that many states have used to roll back voting rights.
We have no time to lose when it comes to protecting our democracy. Will
you fight against any efforts to postpone or cancel the fall elections?
[ [link removed] ]Add your name: Tell Congress to pass the national vote-by-mail bill and
make sure there's no disruption to the November election!
Thanks for taking action in this urgent moment,
Robert and the team at Demand Progress
[ [link removed] ]DONATE
Sources:
1. Sen. Ron Wyden press release, "Wyden Introduces Bill to Protect Voters
and Elections Against COVID-19 Risks by Mandating Emergency Vote-By-Mail,"
[ [link removed] ]March 11, 2020.
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