Demand Progress

Tell Congress: Protect the November election with vote-by-mail!

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    Tell Congress: Protect the November election with vote-by-mail!

    Petition to Congress:
    We urge you to co-sponsor and vote for legislation to guarantee every American voter gets a paper ballot and the option to return it by mail or to a dropoff site for the November 2020 election. Voters should not have to choose between democracy and public health. As the coronavirus crisis continues, it is essential that we take all steps to protect public health and ensure the November election takes place as planned. Take action now to achieve that urgent goal.

    The coronavirus is already causing havoc with our elections -- and making it clear we need to give every voter the option to vote by mail.

    Wisconsin is the latest example. After Governor Tony Evers ordered a postponement of their primary election to June, in order to protect public health, Republicans on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and then the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court ordered today's election to go ahead anyway despite safety concerns.1 We cannot let this happen on a national scale this fall.

    We need the November 2020 election to go ahead as planned. The best way to ensure that election takes place is to act now, while we still have time, to ensure every American voter can cast a ballot by mail -- safely and securely. Will you help?

    Sign the petition and tell Congress: Pass a national vote by mail law!

    Even if the coronavirus pandemic fades in the coming weeks, there is still the possibility it could return in the fall. We cannot sit back and just wait for a crisis that could undermine the November election.

    Congress has several bills pending that would give every voter the option to vote by mail.2 Democratic leaders chose not to make those bills part of the recent bailout, despite intense public pressure to do so. That was a mistake.

    Donald Trump has already said he doesn't like vote by mail. But we know it works well. I live in Washington State, where we've voted by mail for years. It's a safe and secure way to cast a ballot. Voters here don't have to choose between democracy and public health. But very few Americans have that option if they live elsewhere.

    If you're concerned about the possibility the November election might be postponed, the best thing you can do right now is tell your members of Congress to pass legislation guaranteeing every American the ability to vote by mail this fall. Can you help?

    Add your name: Tell Congress to immediately pass legislation to provide every voter with the option to cast a ballot by mail!

    Sources:

    1. Gizmodo, "Conservative-Dominated Courts Kill Wisconsin Election Delay, Absentee Voting Extension" April 6, 2020.
    2. Sen. Ron Wyden press release, "Wyden Introduces Bill to Protect Voters and Elections Against COVID-19 Risks by Mandating Emergency Vote-By-Mail," March 11, 2020.