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The @HouseDemocrats have released the newest version of H.R. 1, the For The People Act of 2021. Here's a thread highlighting some especially exciting provisions on voting access. (You can read the bill for yourself here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1/text?loclr=cga-bill.)
H.R. 1 is broken into 3 sections: voting, campaign finance, and ethics. This thread will focus on *just one part* of the voting section. Let's go.
H.R. 1 *requires* that states let people register to vote online. (Today, 9 states still don't have online registration laws on the books.)
H.R. 1 would mandate that states adopt "automatic voter registration." This doesn't immediately register everyone, to be clear—but it *does* use the info people provide at participating gov't agencies like the DMV to automatically register them to vote, unless they opt out.
H.R. 1 would mandate same-day registration for federal elections. No more having to register before a deadline. You could show up to vote on Election Day *or* early and register at your polling place before casting your ballot.
( @JakeMGrumbach and I find that same-day registration is especially good for increasing youth turnout: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/opinion/graphics-an-excitingly-simple-solution-to-youth-turnout-for-the-primaries-and-beyond.html)
Section 1041 makes it much harder to remove eligible voters from the voter rolls via discriminatory "interstate cross-checks." It also says that cross-check removals can't happen within 6 months of the election.
H.R. 1 gives states money to promote voter pre-registration, which lets older teenagers (e.g., 16- and 17-year-olds) register in advance—so that once they turn 18, the registration kicks in and they can vote. ( @JohnHolbein1 has shown that pre-reg increases youth voting rates.)
(And H.R. 1 will require states to accept voter registration applications from 16- and 17-year-olds—though they still won't be allowed to vote until they reach legal voting age.)
A large part of H.R. 1 is devoted to expanding voting access for people with disabilities—including letting them register and vote by mail, and creating a pilot program to let them register and request a ballot electronically.
H.R. 1 also prohibits states from using "voter caging" to prevent people from voting. (Here's a primer on voter caging: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/guide-voter-caging.)
H.R. 1 makes it illegal to knowingly make false statements regarding federal elections.
This is a big one: H.R. 1 says that you can't deny a citizen their right to vote because they've been convicted of a criminal offense, unless they are actively serving a felony sentence in a correctional facility at the time of the election. Once you're out, you can vote.
States also have to *notify* people upon completion of their sentence that their right to vote has been restored.
In a big move to improve election security, H.R. 1 requires states to use voter-verified paper ballots. (More on why paper ballots matter here: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2019/08/14/why-paper-is-considered-state-of-the-art-voting-technology/)
H.R. 1 requires each state to provide at least 15 days of early voting, on consecutive days, with uniform hours that include before 9am and after 5pm.
Under H.R. 1, if you're eligible to vote in person, you're eligible to vote by mail. And you can opt into voting by mail for all future federal elections, too.
H.R. 1 says that states that verify voter signatures on mail-ballots *must* provide a fair process for voters to fix problems and have their ballot counted. And states must accept mail ballots postmarked by, and received within 10 days of, Election Day.
Moreover, under H.R. 1, states must begin processing and scanning ballots for tabulation 2 weeks before Election Day. No more starting the process on Election Day itself. States must also let voters track their ballots online.
H.R. 1 requires states to prepay the postage for mail ballots! No more making people procure a stamp to vote.
A good conflict of interest provision: under H.R. 1, if you're a secretary of state, you can't take part in a federal political campaign in an election over which you have supervisory authority.
H.R. 1 says that higher ed institutions have to designate a single Campus Vote Coordinator, who will give students critical info about elections twice a year (incl. info on local polling places and how to register).
Under H.R. 1, states with voter ID requirements have to permit voters to satisfy the requirement by providing a sworn written statement on their identity and eligibility to vote.
H.R. 1 says that Indian Tribes can designate centralized ballot pickup and collection locations, and Tribe members can use those locations as their place of residence for the purposes of requesting and receiving a mail ballot.
And under H.R. 1, no one will be required to wait more than 30 minutes in line to vote. Voting hours will be more consistent within states. States will have drop boxes for mail ballots. And states cannot prohibit curbside voting.
Crazy as it may sound, there are actually many more provisions I didn't highlight in this thread. If you want to get into the weeds or, say, learn about how overseas military voters will benefit from H.R. 1, I recommend reading the bill in its entirety. (Get comfortable first.)
I really want to emphasize that this is just a part of part of the bill. I didn't get into territorial voting rights (!), independent redistricting commissions (!!), risk-limiting audits, cybersecurity, foreign interference, election disinformation...
small-dollar campaign financing, Federal Election Commission reform, super PAC coordination, SCOTUS ethics, lobbying disclosure, presidential and executive branch ethics reform, or congressional ethics reform—ALL OF WHICH are covered by H.R. 1. Seriously... it's a big bill.
