Graphic credit CommonCause.org
The For the People Act (HR1/S1)
Forty-three states are trying to enact legislation that could make it harder to vote. Some have already done so. The For the People Act, passed in the House in early March, aims to override these proposed restrictions, and create a national baseline for voting access for every American. But Senate Republicans could stop it from proceeding to a vote in the Senate using the filibuster. “The For the People Act is the most expansive democracy reform legislation we have seen since the Voting Rights Act,” said Virginia Kase, CEO of the League of Women Voters. “This bill will protect voting rights, eliminate dark money in our elections, restore transparency and accountability in our government, and curb partisan and racial gerrymandering once and for all.”
The League worked with members of Congress to shape key pieces of the Act, including expanding automatic voter registration, same day voter registration, and online voter registration. Please support its passage by contacting your Senators. Ask your family and friends in other states to contact their Senators about this matter. CLICK HERE to read the League’s statement regarding The For the People Act.
What would the For the People Act do?
It would require national no-excuse voting by mail.
It would require that states, at the option of a voter, treat a vote by mail application as an application to vote by mail in all future federal elections.
It would require that states transmit absentee ballot applications to all registered voters.
It would prohibit states from placing limits on how many absentee ballots it would accept.
It would prohibit witness signature requirements for absentee ballots.
It would require that voters be allowed to return absentee ballots by mail, at a polling place, at a tribally designated building, at a drop-box, or at a state or local election office.
It would require giving voters notice and opportunity to cure signature defects, and that all determinations of a discrepancy be made by two trained election officials.
It would require that states accept eligible absentee ballots up to 10 days after Election Day.
It would require a minimum of 14 consecutive days of early voting.
It would require states to accept a sworn written statement in lieu of documentary ID (except for certain first-time voters).
It would require that states accept voter registrations that meet the current legal requirements (under the National Voter Registration Act), which do not include citizenship documents.
It would require same-day voter registration.
It would require automatic voter registration.
It would prohibit purges based solely on unreliable evidence like past failure to vote; prohibit voter caging; and limit inaccurate purges based on interstate cross-checks.
