Democrats Introduce Bill to Expand National Mail-In Voting to ‘Make Real Progress’

Two Democratic congressmen from Oregon introduced a bill yesterday, presented as the ‘Vote at Home Act’, which seeks to expand ‘Oregon-style’ mail-in voting to the rest of the nation. They claim the move is necessary to “make real progress”.

The Bill, introduced by Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Earl Blumenauer, is described as a means to “fight voter suppression” in Wyden’s press release. His statement summarises the main changes the bill will make:

“Promote the Ability of Voters to Vote by Mail – All registered voters would receive ballots in the mail weeks before Election Day, allowing them to carefully research candidates and issues well ahead of Election Day to inform their vote.”

“Expand Options for Casting Ballots – All registered voters would have the ability to cast their ballot through the mail or a drop-off site. Voters residing in states with in-person, same-day registration would still have the option to vote at a polling station in lieu of voting at home.”

“Fund the United States Postal Service – The legislation would provide the USPS funding to cover costs associated with mailing ballots both to and from voters in federal elections. This would allow states to save money by transitioning away from polling stations and reduce a major barrier for voters with the federal government absorbing the cost associated with USPS delivery.”

“Enact Automatic Voter Registration – States would be required to ensure that each citizen who provides identifying information to the state motor vehicle authority is automatically registered to vote. Voters are given 21 days to ‘opt out’ if they do not wish to remain registered.”

The 2020 presidential election saw a huge expansion of mail-in voting when compared with previous years. The expansion was largely due to enormous efforts from the Democratic Party for voters to cast their vote by mail, under the auspices that voting through that means is the safer option in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wyden’s press release describes this as a ‘success’:

“The legislation follows the successful expansion of voting at home and by mail in the November 2020 election, when nearly 50 percent of voters used a vote-at-home ballot, an all-time high in federal races.”

This view is echoed in a statement in support of the bill, in which Blumenauer said:

“The individual right to vote, the cornerstone of our democracy, is under threat in communities across America. Last year we saw a widespread expansion of vote-at-home access as a safe and secure way to participate during the COVID-19 pandemic … We should continue to make voting easier, not harder. This important bill would strengthen and clarify the right to vote at home, the most secure and convenient way for voters to exercise the franchise.”

Despite the mention of COVID-19 as a rationale for the bill’s introduction, the bill had been previously introduced in 2017, long before the pandemic began. 

The expansion of mail-in voting was the cause of considerable controversy in the 2020 presidential election. The pre-existing concerns of election fraud were compounded by both abrupt changes to many state electoral rules and irregularities in both election data and practise - leading many Republicans and some Democrats to question the legitimacy of the election. 

One poll suggests that as many as one in three Americans believe that voter fraud is a major issue in the country, suggesting that the introduction of this bill may further strain American’s trust in the democratic system’s ability to produce legitimate results. Nevertheless, Wyden said of his Bill:

“Our democracy is stronger when every American can vote, without standing in ridiculous lines or having to take time off work or school to exercise their Constitutional rights … To get the big things done that really improve Americans’ lives, our country needs the government to represent all Americans. Oregonians know that voting at home is a time-tested, secure and accessible way to vote. It’s high time the rest of the country had the chance to vote the way we do.”