Let America Vote//End Citizens United Action Fund released the following statement slamming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for ignoring the critical need to protect our elections during the COVID-19 pandemic:
“Public health experts have made clear that the threat of coronavirus isn’t going away anytime soon and it’s unbelievable that the bill Mitch McConnell released today completely ignores the crisis we’ll face if states don’t have the resources they need to ensure every eligible voter has options to be able to safely cast a ballot this November. The Senate should follow the House and provide the $4 billion experts and election officials say is necessary instead of allocating $1.75 billion to the FBI to build a new headquarters they don’t need. If Mitch McConnell gets his way, millions of Americans will be forced to choose between their health and their vote,” said Tiffany Muller, President of Let America Vote Action Fund.
Today, Senator McConnell released a framework for the next coronavirus relief package and it provides no money for election preparedness funds. Experts and election officials have said $4 billion is needed to ensure states can ensure safe voting options this year. In May, the House passed those funds as part of the Heroes Act. McConnell’s refusal to provide funding to help protect our elections and voters’ health and safety comes on the heels of his outrageous and false statement that voter suppression is “nonsense.”
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