Today’s Action: Tell our leaders to protect our elections during coronavirus

New York State has cancelled their presidential primary in the face of coronavirus. Though this decision comes with controversy and may hurt progressive down ticket races, the undeniable reality stands: public gatherings in New York City are extremely high risk and Congress hasn’t provided states the funding to make elections safe. It’s one of many elections that may be affected without Congressional support.

Republicans are stonewalling, because they fear and admit that making elections more accessible literally means that no Republican would ever be elected again. With November’s presidential election looming just six months away and no vaccine ready, we do not have a second to waste to protect democracy and our right to vote.

Call or email your Members of Congress and demand they support Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Election Protection Plan and commit $4 billion to the following changes in our election system during this pandemic:

• Give every American the ability to register to vote safely and easily, including: a ban on voter roll purges, online voter registration in every state, and same-day voter registration in every state.
• Give every American the easy option to vote by mail, including: providing pre-paid return postage, waiving requirements that would break social distancing guidelines (such as a notary signature or copies of IDs), and providing USPS whatever emergency funding they need to stay in service through the November election.
• Provide every American heightened protections for in-person voting, including: 30 days of early voting in every state, dropping voter ID laws, extending polling hours, and funding states’ abilities to keep polling locations sanitary and polling workers safe with supplies and proper social distancing.
• Fight election disinformation by implementing robust ballot tracking tools so voters can follow their ballots and trust votes have been counted, and holding social media platforms accountable for identifying, preventing and removing disinformation.

Anything less than directly addressing these vital needs would jeopardize our election and our lives.

Email or call (202.224.3121) your Members of Congress and tell them to support Senator Warren’s Election Protection Plan, putting a minimum of $4 billion toward a national vote-by-mail system, expanded in-person voting options and protections, and increased voter registration capabilities in time for the November presidential election.