Let America Vote//End Citizens United Action Fund sent a letter to Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) ahead of the Senate Rules Committee hearing today, which is expected to include a debate on funding for safe, secure, accessible voting options amid the coronavirus outbreak. Senator Klobuchar has been a key leader in the fight to pass the $4 billion of election preparedness funding that election experts and officials say is necessary to ensure states have the resources they need to provide safe options for voters, including working to expand vote-by-mail and safe-in person voting options.
LAV//ECU are calling on Blunt and Senate Republicans to support this funding as part of our SAFE Democracy Project, a 50-state grassroots effort to put pressure on the Senate to provide more election preparedness funding, implement a universal no-excuse vote-by-mail option for all 2020 elections, and add additional safeguards to guarantee safe and clean in-person voting. So far, SAFE has sent over 111,000 emails to members of Congress and state elected officials and has contacted more than 534,600 activists through its texting program.
The letter reads:
On behalf of our more than 4 million members, we believe it’s critical that Congress provide states with the $4 billion experts and election officials have said is necessary to ensure states have the resources they need to protect access to the ballot. This funding would allow states to expand early voting and secure vote-by-mail options, strengthen online voter registration tools, ensure elections officials can manage safe in-person voting sites while protecting the health of poll workers, and educate the public about any changes to voting processes.
The House already included the remaining necessary funding in the HEROES Act passed in May, but so far the Senate has not acted. The next coronavirus relief package must include that funding so it can be quickly distributed to states that need it. With state election budgets strapped due to the economic impact of the virus, there should be no match requirement for states that request the funds.
To read the full letter click here.
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