Many libraries in the United States are planning on going to the voters for renovations, renewals, or other funding measures this year. With so much at stake, we can’t let our elections be compromised due to the COVID-19 crisis or any future crisis. That’s why we are asking you to send an email to support Senate Bill 3529, the National Disaster Emergency Ballot Act.
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This bill would require States to establish contingency plans for the conduct of elections for Federal office in response to national disasters and emergencies, and for other purposes.
This should not be a partisan effort as a lack of voting will harm all Americans regardless of political affiliation. More than a dozen states have delayed their primaries or canceled in-person voting in favor of mail ballots.
“We are getting more and more bipartisan support from secretaries of states across the country,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in an interview, who is leading a bill with Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) to expand early voting as well as vote-by-mail.
“In a worst case scenario communities may be facing the choice of either voting by mail or not voting at all,” added Wyden. “We’re already going in this direction and now we’re in the middle of a pandemic and I think this is a very different time.”
Natural Disaster Emergency Ballot Act (S.3529) would ensure that voting rights and access to the ballot are protected in the case of natural disasters and pandemics. We believe that all Americans should be able to vote in a safe, orderly, and legal way. This bill would extend in-person voting at least twenty days before an election and require no-excuse absentee voting by mail. S. 3529 also requires downloadable and printable absentee ballots, prepaid self-sealing envelopes with "intelligent mail" barcodes for tracking your ballot, an online portal that allows election officials to update voters about their ballots, and other accommodations.
EveryLibrary calls on Congress to ensure that all voters have a safe and secure way to have their vote counted in November and beyond. Please join us today to help ensure that our democracy is strong - especially in a time of crisis - because all the votes are able to be cast and counted.