Sen. Warren, Stand Up America Demand Senate Pass $4B Total For Election Assistance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, May 19, 2020

PRESS CONTACT:
Ryan Thomas
ryan@standupamerica.com
(763) 954-0470

Both Called On Democrats to Fight for Additional Funding for Vote-By-Mail and Other Measures to Keep Voters Safe

NEW YORK — Today, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) joined Stand Up America’s Sean Eldridge in demanding that election assistance funding be a non-negotiable part of the Senate’s next COVID-19 relief bill, calling on the Senate to follow the House’s lead with the HEROES Act by approving $3.6 billion in additional funds.

Both Sen. Warren and Eldridge called on Democrats in both chambers to use their leverage to ensure that Congress allocates a total of $4 billion in federal funds to give every state the resources to implement vote-by-mail, guarantee no-excuse absentee ballots, expand in-person early voting, and ensure online voter registration.

“Elections are the beating heart of our democracy. Americans should not be forced to choose between voting and staying safe from the virus this November,” said Sen. Warren. “The House has already taken action to include vote-by-mail in the HEROES Act, and now the Senate must step up to make sure that voting is safe, fair, and accessible for everyone.”

“The ball is in the Senate’s court, and we are demanding that election assistance be included in the next package,” said Eldridge, Stand Up America’s Founder and President. “We need Democrats in both chambers to use their leverage to ensure that election assistance is a non-negotiable part of the next relief package. They cannot take no for an answer. If the next relief package does not include election assistance funding, then our democracy itself is at risk.”

Since March, Stand Up America community members have made more than 150,000 constituent calls to Congress, reaching the offices of every lawmaker in the House and Senate. The group also led 50 voting rights groups in sending a letter to congressional leadership last month urging them to include election assistance funding for states in the fourth response package before it’s too late.

Last month, Sen. Warren was among the 40 Senate Democrats that also sent a letter to congressional leadership demanding $4 billion in funding, after having proposed a series of plans to protect voters’ ability to safely cast their ballot.