Voter Suppression

Defend the Vote

After losing the White House in the most thoroughly examined election in our country’s history, Republicans across the country have shifted from frivolous lawsuits and absurd claims to a serious and dangerous effort to suppress the votes of the vulnerable.

The reason for this is clear: If your policies ignore or exploit the vulnerable, you don’t want them to have a voice in elections.

Since the start of 2021, at least 14 states have enacted 22 new laws that restrict access to the vote, according to the Brennan Center. This is the most restrictive wave of voting laws in a decade.

Senator Hughes Speaks out Against GOP Voter Suppression


This week, after contentious debate, the Senate passed House Bill 1300, a completely partisan effort to steal the electoral voice of our commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens: the elderly, the young, people of color and the poor.

The bill attempts to enact unconstitutional voter ID requirements despite the thousands of people who don’t have what would be valid ID under the bill.  It also limits mail-in ballots and drop boxes, important choices for those who lack mobility or transportation.

I voted against this repressive measure and Governor Wolf has promised a veto.

We need to keep fighting for election changes that will help with pre-canvassing, attracting, and paying poll workers, and other changes that will make voting easier and more secure.

Contact your legislator and tell them you will Defend the Vote.

Say NO to voter suppression through HB1300

Partisan elections bill, not budget or COVID-19 relief, clears House

Pa. House State Government Committee Democratic Chair Margo Davidson says that voting is the cornerstone and core of our democracy. But many of the provisions in House Bill 1300 are undemocratic and would actually make it harder for people to vote, not easier. She said it is another attempt at dismantling democracy and disenfranchising voters.

CNN

Pennsylvania House committee advances election overhaul bill with new restrictions

(CNN) Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are the latest to push new state-level voting restrictions, with a key state House committee on Tuesday advancing a major election overhaul bill that the state’s Democratic governor blasted as “extreme.”

“Pennsylvania had a free, fair and secure election in November 2020 with record turnout, in which people embraced mail-in voting and the results have been confirmed by two statewide audits,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement Tuesday.

“Despite the clear facts, too many Harrisburg Republicans have spent the past year spewing lies and conspiracy theories about elections because they don’t like the outcome. Now they’re trying to use their own lies as an excuse to retaliate against voters by passing an extreme election bill.”

Continue Reading →

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and other Pennsylvania lawmakers debate proposed election legislation

The proposed HB1300 could overhaul elections in Pennsylvania. Republicans want the rules changed. Democrats call it an attack on voting rights. On Tuesday, lawmakers in the House State Government Committee took turns lambasting and applauding House Bill 1300 — dubbed the Voting Rights Protection Act — a 150-page omnibus bill that includes stricter voter ID rules, signature verification requirements for mail ballots, and limits on drop boxes.

Watch Video →