On Eve Of 50th Anniversary Of Voting Rights Act, Schumer Introduces New Bills To Dramatically Expand Access To Voting -- Legislation Makes It Easier To Register Online, Expands Early Voting, And More

Press Release

Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today introduced three new bills designed to expand access to voting in the United States. Schumer, Ranking Member of the Rules Committee which has jurisdiction over laws governing election administration, is seeking to put in place federal safeguards that would prevent individual states from curtailing practices that ensure all Americans have access to the ballot box, including early voting and online registration.

"Today, on the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, we should be celebrating the progress we have made. Unfortunately, the right to vote in this country is still under attack," said Schumer. "In an effort to limit the pool of potential voters, nefarious forces have sought to make it more difficult to get registered to vote, prevent or decrease early voting, and increase bureaucratic hurdles to limit participation at the ballot box. Those efforts are backwards, wrong, and they must be stopped cold. These bills would make it easier for Americans to vote, period. In a polarized Democracy, individuals of all political stripes ought to be able to agree that we should make it as easy as possible for voters to participate in the process. This legislation would do just that, and I'm hopeful it will earn bipartisan support."

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