USA Today: Democratic Leaders: Act now to protect voting this year amid coronavirus crisis

USA TODAY CONTRIBUTORS: Tom Perez, Alex Padilla, Cheri Bustos, Catherine Cortez Masto, Maura Healey, Ellen Rosenblum and Eric Garcetti

The world is in crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyday life in America and around the globe. It has stripped us of any sense of normalcy and routine. But as we fight this virus with all we have, we cannot let it strip Americans of the one right that protects all others — the right to vote. That’s why it’s critical that our leaders provide clarity, not confusion, when it comes to the ballot box.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Ron Wyden have introduced a bill to do just that. Within 30 days of its enactment, the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020 would require states to put together a contingency plan for eligible voters to cast their ballots during states of emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This would not only help us avoid the prospect of delaying elections, but also ensure that Americans don’t lose their chance to make their voices heard.

Specifically, these contingency plans should allow voters to vote by mail without a specific excuse and to vote early in person for a full 20 days before an election.  

No one should have to put their health and safety at risk in order to exercise their constitutional rights at the ballot box. States should automatically mail ballots to registered voters; voters should be able to mail back those ballots for free or with prepaid postage by the date of the primary; voters should also be able to drop off ballots at predesignated locations, as is the case in Arizona, or have someone else drop it off for them; and ballots should be accepted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day and received within 10 days of the election.

In instances where in-person voting occurs, states should immediately move to expand the days and hours of early voting. Not only will this reduce lines where in-person voting is still taking place, but it will also allow Americans more freedom and flexibility to make their voices heard.

Finally, states should take steps to ensure that every eligible vote is counted. As more states move to vote by mail, we will inevitably run into process issues such as mismatched signatures. But voters should not pay the price of these hiccups by losing their vote. Instead, states should be prepared to handle these situations in a way that is fair to voters by thoroughly reviewing any “error” that could cause a ballot to be invalidated and giving the voter an opportunity to fix that error when possible.

Of course, these policies will require significant funding. That’s why any state that voluntarily complies with such reforms will receive payments equal to the costs they’ve incurred.

Democrats have consistently worked to remove barriers to the ballot. In this time of crisis, it is only fitting that we are once again leading the work to make it easier and safer to vote, rather than allow our democracy to come to a halt. As chairs of the Democratic committees, we urge Congress to pass the Klobuchar-Wyden bill immediately and President Donald Trump to sign it, so these reforms can be in place for November, as well as for any outstanding primaries in the coming months. And we implore states to implement these tools to ensure voters can still make their voices heard.

We are living in uncertain times. And that means we need clear and reliable leadership to make sure we get through this crisis together. Nothing less than the health and future of our democracy is at stake.

Tom Perez is chair of the Democratic National Committee. Alex Padilla is California Secretary of State and chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State. California. Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois is chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada is chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum are co-chairs of the Democratic Attorneys General Association. Eric Garcetti is mayor of Los Angeles and chair of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors.

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