Press Releases

Open Letter to Congressional Leadership Demanding $4 Billion In Election Assistance Funding

Monday, April 13, 2020

To Speaker Pelosi and Leaders McCarthy, McConnell, and Schumer:

In the midst of our ongoing national crisis, in addition to providing the American people with continued economic and health care support, it is now critical that Congress take swift action to ensure that every American can exercise their right to vote this November.

While Congress has already allocated $400 million in election assistance funding to the states, that sum is simply not enough to ensure that our elections are secure and that voting is accessible to all who are eligible. Additional funding is needed now so that election officials across the country have time to make critical adjustments before Election Day.

For that reason, the undersigned organizations—on behalf of the tens of millions of Americans we represent—demand that Congress immediately pass legislation to provide states and territories with $4 billion to:

  • Expand vote-by-mail options, including no-excuse absentee voting, so that states can offer every registered voter the ability to vote by mail if they choose to do so;
  • Extend in-person early voting to reduce long lines and to ensure that Americans have multiple weeks to cast their ballots;
  • Ensure safe, accessible polling places, especially for voters without easy access to mail-in voting;
  • Expand online and same-day voter registration in all states and to all voters; and
  • Educate voters about their voting options this November.

While these reforms can and must be implemented by the states, Congress has an obligation to safeguard the integrity of our elections by setting national voting rights standards and providing state officials with urgent financial support so that they can institute these common-sense reforms while there is still time.

None of us know how long this pandemic will last. Failing to provide states with this necessary funding puts the November election and the rights of every voter at risk.

We implore you to immediately come together to ensure that every eligible American has access to the ballot and our democracy does not become another casualty of this crisis.

Sincerely,

Stand Up America
Common Cause
Indivisible

Co-Signed By The Following Organizations:

All On The Line
Andrew Goodman Foundation
Campaign Legal Center
Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop! Consulting
Center for American Progress
Center for Emergent Diplomacy
Clean Elections Texas
Communications Workers of America
Consumer Action
Daily Kos
DC Vote
Democracy 21
Democracy Matters
Fair Elections Center
Fair Fight Action
Fix Democracy First
Generation Progress
Greenpeace USA
Indivisible Kansas City
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Lawyers for Good Government
League of Conservation Voters
League of Women Voters of the United States
Let America Vote / End Citizens United Action Fund
Missouri Voter Protection Coalition
MomsRising
Movement Advancement Project
National Association of Social Workers
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
NextGen America
Patriotic Millionaires
Peace Action
People For the American Way
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Progressive Turnout Project
Protect Democracy
Protect Our Winters
Public Citizen
Rock The Vote
Sierra Club
Take on Wall Street
Voices for Progress
Vote.Org