Congress must provide $4 billion to ensure that no voter is left out
WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, our Voting Rights Task Force co-chairs, and more than 150 organizations called on Congress to fully fund and direct states and counties to administer the 2020 elections in a safe, fair, and accessible manner. The groups advocated for the implementation of vote-by-mail, the expansion of early voting, and viable in-person voting options.
“Congress must provide states with at least $4 billion to prepare for the 2020 November and primary elections, and time is of the essence. In the last coronavirus response package, Congress provided only $400 million to states for election assistance. While a step in the right direction, that sum will defray only a fraction of the costs associated with implementing the necessary adjustments to safeguard the electoral process. In its next package, Congress must provide at least an additional $3.6 billion to help states prepare for 2020 elections amidst the COVID-19 crisis,” the groups wrote.
“Although large numbers of Americans will vote by mail this year, in-person voting options remain essential for the 2020 elections to be truly fair and accessible. In-person voting is still necessary, notwithstanding the challenges posed by COVID-19, because many communities in America simply will not have full and fair access to the election without in-person voting options and for others it is their preferred option,” said the groups. “Accordingly, we must provide safe and effective in-person voting options, in order to prevent disenfranchising any American. Unless we do so, marginalized communities will be locked out of this election.”
The letter is available here, and is signed by the following groups (this list will continue to be updated*):
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law**
MALDEF**
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.**
9to5
A. Philip Randolph Institute
ACCESS
ADL (Anti-Defamation League)
Advancement Project National Office
AFL-CIO
African American Ministers In Action
Alliance for Youth Action
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
American Federation of Teachers
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Andrew Goodman Foundation
APIA Vote-MI
Arab American Institute (AAI)
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Brave New Films
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
Campaign Legal Center
Can’t Stop! Won’t Stop! Consulting
Center for American Progress
Center for Civic Policy
Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice
Center for Disability Rights
Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Center for Media and Democracy
Center for Public Representation
Center for Science and Democracy – Union of Concerned Scientists
Central American Resource Center
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Clean Elections Texas
Colorado Latino Leadership, Advocacy, & Research Organization (CLLARO)
Common Cause
Common Cause Florida
Common Cause New Mexico
Communications Workers of America
Community Change Action
Community Votes
Council on American Islamic Relations Connecticut (CAIR CT)
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Courts Matter Illinois
CPC – Chinese-American Planning Council
Declaration for American Democracy
Demand Justice
Democracy 21
Democracy Matters
Democracy Nashville/Democratic Communities
Demos
Earthjustice
Economic Policy Institute
Education Advocacy Representation & Leadership for Youth – MO
Equal Citizens
Equality California
Fair Elections Center
Fair Fight Action
FairVote
Fix Democracy First
Generation Progress
Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda
Greenpeace USA
Hispanic Federation
Human Rights Campaign
Impact Fund
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
Indigenous Women Rising
Indivisible
Inspired by Common Cause
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Labor Council for latin American Advancement
Lambda Legal
League of Conservation Voters
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
League of Women Voters of the United States
MapLight
Maryland PIRG
Matthew Shepard Foundation
Minnesota Alliance for Democracy
Missouri Voter Protection Coalition
Muslim Advocates
Muslim Public Affairs Council
NAACP
NALEO Educational Fund
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Action Network
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of Social Workers, CT Chapter
National Bar Association
National Center for Learning Disabilities
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
National Disability Rights Network
National Education Association
National Employment Lawyers Association
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Redistricting Foundation
National Urban League Young Professionals
Native American Rights Fund
NCJW Chicago North Shore
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
New American Welcome Center at the University YMCA
New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics
New Mexico Immigrant Law Center
New Mexico Thrives
New York Immigration Coalition
North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT)
Northeast Ohio Voter Advocates
Northwest Kenyan Community Association
NYS Elections Commissioner Association
OCA – New York Chapter
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund
Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy
OneAmerica
Our Maryland
Parents for Public Schools, Inc.
Peace Action
People For the American Way
PFLAG National
Phillips Temple CME Church
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Progressive Turnout Project
ProgressNow Education Fund
Public Citizen
Represent Maryland
RepresentUs
Rock the Vote
SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Sierra Club
Sierra Club Maine
Silver State Equality-Nevada
SMART Elections
Sojourners
SPLC Action Fund
Spread The Vote
Stand Up America
TASH, Inc.
Texas Civil Rights Project
Texas Progressive Action Network
Transformative Justice Coalition
UnidosUS
Union for Reform Judaism
United Mine Workers of America
Verified Voting
Voices for Progress
Vote.org
Voting Rights Lab
When We All Vote
YMCA of Greater New York
YWCA USA
