Government affairs

Today, Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Absentee and Mail Voter Protection Act (Absentee MVP Act). The bill would nullify an executive order President Trump issued on March 31 related to mail-in voting.

Additionally, the bill bans any similar executive orders by blocking the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from sharing state voter lists, defunding the DOJ’s efforts to compel production of state voter lists, enforcing the Privacy Act by barring federal agencies from improperly sharing voter data, both within the government and with outside groups, and defunding any future Commerce Department efforts to enact partisan regulation of mail-in ballots.

The bill has 39 Democratic co-sponsors. In addition to the bill, this week, 34 Democratic senators sent a letter to the USPS Board of Governors urging it to reject the executive order.

The executive order, which is facing legal challenges, aims to severely limit mail-in ballots nationwide. The order gives the Postal Service new responsibilities much outside its typical, constitutionally mandated operations. The order gives USPS the authority to reject and refuse delivery of ballots unless states comply with newly established federal eligibility lists. The order tasks the DHS with building these state lists of voting-age American citizens. The Absentee MVP Act nullifies all provisions in the executive order.

“In a country founded on the ideals of ‘We the People,’ in which the right to vote is fundamental to who we are as a nation—people shouldn’t have to work too hard to have their voices heard and their votes counted,” Sen. Padilla said.

“Our Constitution gives states and Congress the power to conduct elections, and vote-by-mail is a legal and proven part of our nation’s electoral process,” Sen. Peters said.

“The right to vote is fundamental to our nation’s democracy. But the president, time and time again, has attacked Americans’ access to the ballot box, and his latest strategy is an executive order that targets mail-in voting,” Sen. Durbin said.

“NALC appreciates Sens. Peters, Padilla and Durbin’s leadership in fighting to protect Americans’ access to mail-in ballots,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “Voting by mail is safe, secure, and makes it easier for tens of millions of Americans to participate in our democracy. As this executive order is considered in the courts, NALC supports this legislation that focuses on protecting Americans’ right to vote by mail.”

NALC will continue to monitor this bill and any other legislation that would affect vote-by-mail and voting rights.