Friends – The right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy.

People have been beaten and arrested to ensure that right is enforced and protected. But during this unprecedented pandemic, voter suppression tactics are forcing voters to choose between their health and their constitutional right to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

In recent months, voters from Wisconsin to Texas have faced hours-long lines and polling place closures that make voting even harder. Now, this is bad during "normal" times – but it's unconscionable during a public health crisis like this one when our lives depend on our ability to social distance.

That's why the vast majority of Americans believe voting by mail should be allowed for the duration of the pandemic – and polls show it too. But experts say we're running out of time to effectively implement vote-by-mail, and with the most important election of our lifetimes coming up, we need to act fast.

Our health and our rights are on the line, friends. Because this is so important, and so urgent, I need grassroots folks like you to raise your voices. Please, add your name now to DEMAND that Congress implement vote-by-mail for all Americans – before it's too late.

The stakes couldn't be higher. At a time when people are out of work and struggling to put food on the table, we have a president unable to lead and his party in the Senate unable to govern. And they want to keep it that way – all so they can bail out their wealthy friends and corporations while working families try to keep a roof over their heads. 

But don't take my word for it. President Trump has said himself that enabling Americans to vote by mail could spell electoral defeat for him in November. That's why, as poll stations close and voter turnout is further suppressed by the pandemic, Republicans are happy to let the United States Postal Service go bankrupt and run down the clock on implementing vote-by-mail.

I'm fighting as hard as I can to make sure our rights, and our lives, are protected, and to make sure Republicans don't dismantle the systems we depend on – but I can't do it without you, friends. So please, if you're as concerned as I am, add your name to this petition right now to demand Congress protect our democracy and pass national vote-by-mail legislation.

Thanks,

Congresswoman Val Demings