President Biden
Joe Biden Senate Has Longest Voice In History As Democrats Rush To Rescue Emergency Relief Ex-Trump Appointed Arrested In Capitol Riot Complains He Can’t Sleep In Jail Sunday will sign an executive order using federal means to protect and strengthen access to the vote as Republican lawmakers across the country seek to restrict voting rights in the wake of the 2020 election.
Biden will sign an injunction instructing agencies to increase access to voter registration materials and reduce barriers to voting for certain groups, including military and foreign voters, Native Americans, people with disabilities, and Native Americans.
The president will also speak at the Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast on Sunday to outline the emphasis on voting rights. The order and speech come on the 56th anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Ala. The violent clash between 600 civil rights activists and white police officers on Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965 served as a catalyst for the passage of the voting Rights Act.
“Every eligible voter must be able to vote and it must be countable,” Biden will say at breakfast, said prepared remarks. ‘If you have the best ideas, you have nothing to hide. Get more people to vote. ‘
Government officials indicated that the executive order is intended as a direct response to the violent uprising at the Capitol on January 6, triggered by weeks of false claims by former President Trump and his allies about fraud in the 2020 election, as well as subsequent attempts by state legislators to to reverse voting rights.
Biden’s executive order will prompt federal agencies to use their websites and social media platforms to share voter registration information and distribute vote-by-mail applications during regular services.
The order also aims to modernize Vote.gov, an official voter registration site operated by the federal government, to improve accessibility and improve the user experience.
The remainder of the order is aimed at strengthening voter access to specific groups who are more likely to face obstacles in voting. For example, the order directs the attorney general to establish protocols to provide educational materials about voting for eligible individuals detained under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The order will also establish a steering committee on Native American voting rights.
“The president uses his vote, his authority to make his point of view that people should choose through votes what they want and vote for the best ideas, and that it is not democratic to discourage access to the vote” , he says. administrative officer said.
Biden’s steps to improve access to votes will not replace state laws, as elections are run by state and local officials. Republican states, in particular, have been quick to restrict access to ballots after the 2020 election saw record turnout and an increase in mail-in votes amid the pandemic.
In total, more than 250 bills have been introduced in 43 states that would limit access to the polls. In the swing states of Georgia and Arizona, lawmakers have taken initiatives to limit absences and early votes.
Congressional Democrats have implemented sweeping reforms to strengthen voting rights, although the path to passage remains unclear.
The House last week passed the For The People Act, which would require states to submit ballots by mail, vote at least 15 days in advance, and call for online and same-day voter registration. The legislation also calls for the creation of independent committees to pull congressional districts in an effort to end partisan gerrymandering.
Republicans are united in opposition to the bill, which would require at least 10 GOP votes in the Senate if every Democrat in the Senate votes in favor. Biden has pushed for the bill to go through.