Torres Votes to Strengthen Democracy in Face of Unprecedented Voter Suppression

Press Release

Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) today voted for the For the People Act (HR 1), a legislative package of comprehensive and transformational reforms to protect the right to vote and strengthen our democracy.

Among its many provisions, the For the People Act :

Expands and safeguards the ability to vote by creating nationwide automatic voter registration, prohibiting voter roll purges, ending partisan gerrymandering, and much more.
Addresses the corrosive impact of money in politics by upgrading ad disclosures, requiring large donor disclosures, and tightening the rules on super PACs.
Tackles corruption by strengthening ethics laws and our ability to enforce them, ensuring those entrusted with power by the people don't use it just to enrich themselves.
Congresswoman Torres released the following statement:

"There is nothing more important to the health of our democracy than access to the polls," Rep. Norma J. Torres said. "That simple fact is why our right to vote is so aggressively targeted by trained leaders and powerful interests trying to subvert the will of the people. Voters face unprecedented new restrictions on how they can vote, when they can vote, where they can vote - all of which is actually intended to limit who can vote. "

The package of reforms comes just a month after the Brennan Center for Justice reported that state legislators had introduced three times as many bills to restrict voting access as compared to the same time the year before (106 restrictive bills in 28 states by January 26, 2021 compared to 35 bills in 15 states on February 3, 2020).

"While I am glad that none of the recent efforts to undermine the right to vote are in California, the fact remains that an attack on the franchise anywhere undermines our democracy everywhere," Rep. Norma J. Torres added. "If the integrity of an election is undermined in even one state, it can have far-reaching consequences for our nation as a whole. The For the People Act meets this moment of unprecedented attacks on our right to vote, and delivers the reforms we need to ensure the American people continue to choose their leaders - not the other way around. "

Among the alarming policies sought by state-level lawmakers to restrict access to polls are:

Restrictions on mail voting by limiting who can vote by mail, making it harder to obtain ballots, as well as erecting barriers such as restrictions on voter assistance, requiring witness signatures and limiting absentee ballot return options, and more.
Stricker Voter ID requirements , including new requirements, or more inhibiting rules for early in-person and absentee ballot voting, as well as efforts to limit which forms of identification are permissible.
Limited voter registration access by requiring proof of citizenship, rolling back or limiting opportunities for election day registration, or rolling back currently existing automatic voter registration.
More aggressive voter purge practices , such as removing from voter rolls all voters who fail to respond to a notice within 30 days with proof of citizenship.
Learn more about concerning efforts by state lawmakers to restrict voter access here .

More information about the For the People Act is available here .

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