APWU Supports Enhanced Voter Rights
Currently, we lack clear nationwide standards when it comes to our federal elections. While some states have expanded voting rights, many are determined to restrict access to the ballot box. The time has come to fix this inequity and allow every American to exercise their fundamental right to vote.
The Freedom To Vote Act (H.R. 11, S. 2344)
Lead Cosponsors: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD-03)
This bill, introduced in the House and Senate on July 18, 2023, would establish new federal requirements in three key sectors: election administration, election integrity, and voter empowerment. Here are some of the key provisions in this proposed legislation:
- Makes election day a federal holiday
- Mandates two weeks of early voting
- Expands voter registration through automatic, same-day, and online registration
- Requires states to allow vote-by-mail and eliminates burdensome excuse requirements
- Bans partisan gerrymandering
- Requires all entities spending over $10,000 to disclose donors
Additionally, the bill restores the right to vote for citizens who have served their sentence and were released from prison. When it comes to election administration, this bill limits voter roll purges, increases voter accessibility, and ensures provisional ballots are counted. States with voter identification requirements will be directed to allow various forms of ID, increasing access while ensuring secure elections.
The bill also bolsters the integrity of our elections by protecting nonpartisan election officials from partisan interference, and providing funds for new, secure voting machines.
Lastly, voter empowerment is promoted through improving the enforcement of election law, limiting "dark money" in politics, and increasing transparency in online political advertising.
Our current election laws have created a patchwork of geographic disparities that has blocked and discouraged many Americans from participating in the democratic process. This legislation would create a base level of voter protection across our nation, to ensure that every American has access to both the ballot box, and vote-by-mail. APWU stands firm in its support of any bill to expand and protect voting rights, including the Freedom to Vote Act.
