September 13, 2019

Wyden Leads Resolution to Designate September as National Voting Rights Month

Over 80 Members of Congress are cosponsors, 10 organizations have endorsed the resolution

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., reintroduced a resolution with Congressman Marc Veasey, D-Texas, this week to designate this month as “National Voting Rights Month.”

The resolution seeks to end voter suppression by bringing awareness to existing voter suppression laws, educating Americans on their rights as voters and urging Congress to pass critical voting rights legislation.

The resolution urges Congress to pass S. 949 and H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2019, S. 561 and H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019,  S. 2238 and H.R. 2722, the Securing America’s Federal Elections (SAFE) Act, and other key voting rights legislation to restore the American people’s confidence in our elections and protect their right to vote. Additionally, the resolution boosts student civic participation by encouraging schools and universities to develop curriculum to educate students on voter suppression laws and the importance of voter engagement.

“Politicians and powerful special interests want to make it harder for Americans to make their voices heard at the ballot box,” Wyden said. “This resolution says Congress must step up and defend every American voter’s fundamental democratic rights. That’s especially true for seniors, working Americans and minorities, who often face extra barriers just to participate in our democratic system. Representative Veasey and I introduced this resolution to show there’s a roadmap for fighting back.”

“This resolution will deliver on our promise to work for the people by ensuring that all Americans have a voice in our democracy,” Veasey said. “Today’s resolution will continue to push Congress to take action to fight repeated attempts to silence young people, minorities and seniors at the voting booth and fight to clean up corruption in our politics.”

The resolution is endorsed by Fair Fight Action, Demos, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Georgia Community Coalition, Let America Vote, Transformative Justice Coalition, Voting Rights Alliance, National Commission for Voter Justice, Civil Rights Coalition on Policing Reform and the NAACP.

Wyden consistently champions voting rights protections and election security measures to combat domestic and international threats to U.S. elections. Wyden supports exporting Oregon’s vote-by-mail system nation-wide to increase access to the ballot box for all Americans. Earlier this year, he also introduced legislation to protect American elections from foreign interference by mandating hand-marked paper ballots and setting new cybersecurity standards for all federal elections.

A copy of the resolution is available here.