At Hearing, Witnesses Warn Failure to Provide Safe Voting Options Could Disenfranchise Voters

Washington, D.C. (September 9, 2020) — Today, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, chaired by Rep. James E. Clyburn, held a remote hearing to examine what election officials must do to follow election guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ensure a free, fair, and safe general election during the coronavirus pandemic. The hearing followed the release of a new staff report showing serious problems that could disenfranchise voters in Texas, Georgia, Florida, and Wisconsin.

Chairman Clyburn said at the hearing, "We need every state to follow the CDC guidelines so that all voters can cast their vote safely. The federal government also has a critical role to play. The HEROES Act, which the House passed nearly four months ago, includes $3.6 billion dollars to help state and local governments pay for equipment and staff to safely administer the election. Republicans should agree to allocate these funds without further delay."

The Chairman concluded: "Holding a free, fair, and safe election under these circumstances is a challenge. But let there be no doubt: if we all do our part, America is up to the challenge."

Witnesses at the hearing urged states to provide options to voters for safely casting their ballot:

• Actor and activist Kerry Washington, said: "I would also call on federal and state governments to do everything in their power to expand voting access. There are three actions that they can take. First: make voting by mail and absentee voting available to every voter, without requiring an excuse or a witness. Second: expand early voting, both in person and absentee. Third: make voting on election day easier by extending the hours that polling locations are open and following the CDC guidelines to keep those places safe."

• Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, stated: "We need to not repeat the mistakes from the primary season, and we should take lessons that we learned from the primary season to ensure a successful general election in November. In short, we want to ensure that we're providing three avenues to the ballot for voters this season."

• Mimi Marziani, President of the Texas Civil Rights Project said: "There is still time for state officials to step up during this critical moment in our history—but time is running short. They must act now."

• Infectious disease expert Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina, urged adoptionof a national plan to contain the pandemic: "We know that the best way to keep people safe is to decrease the rate of community transmission in the time leading up to the election and on election day."

Witnesses also provided the following information:

States Must Provide "Alternatives to In-Person Voting" As Recommended by CDC.

• Ms. Clarke: "We want streamlined, accessible, vote-by-mail. We want postage-paid envelopes to voters. I applaud those states that are making this process easy by automatically mailing absentee ballots to registered voters."
  
• Ms. Marziani testified that in Texas: "We have the state pretending that we will not see an increase in voting by mail. We saw a 100% increase in voting by mail in some counties in the primaries. … We haven't done anything to deal with it."
• Ms. Clarke: "Drop boxes are used in many communities across our country. They are safe, they are secured, they are monitored by officials and provide another safe way for voters to submit and deposit their absentee ballots in communities across our country."

States Should Follow CDC Guidance to Expand Early Voting

·Dr. Kuppalli: "In addition to streamlining the absentee ballot process, we want at least two weeks of expanded in-person early voting. We know that for many voters in our country, particularly for Black voters and voters of color, the experience of voting in person is deeply important, and so having expansive early voting opportunities is critical."

·Ms. Washington: "But the fact is that long lines can be challenging particularly during a pandemic because a person's ability to make their voice heard should not depend on their ability to wait in line. Some Americans are differently abled. Some can't risk getting sick. Some have children who are learning from home and are unable to leave. Some will have to give up a shift at their job in order to stand in line meaning that they wouldn't be able to put food on the table that evening. So it's really important to support early and absentee voting. Americans need options, especially in this moment of uncertainty."

States Need More Polling Places and Poll Workers To Prevent Lines on Election Day

·Dr. Kuppalli: "We recommended actually increasing the number of polling locations, that way people have shorter lines and thus shorter waits, thereby decreasing the risk of being in contact with coronavirus."

·Ms. Clarke: "It's time to recruit that next generation of poll workers. We've seen this season so many vulnerable, older poll workers who played their part but who have had to bow out because they are incredibly vulnerable under the pandemic. There are civic and non-profit organizations that are working night and day to help recruit poll workers, but frankly, if Congress did its part and allocated that $3.6 billion to states, states could enhance the amount of money that they pay to poll workers and better encourage people to serve."

Debunking Republican Myths About Absentee Ballot Fraud.

• Ms. Clarke testified that over the last 20 years, absentee fraud only amounts to 0.00006% of ballots cast. She reminded Members that the country has a "track record of success that dates back to the 19th century in allowing Americans to have their voice heard by voting by mail."
• Ms. Clarke testified that President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner have all voted by mail.
• Chairman Clyburn explained that "Americans are more likely to get struck by lightning than to commit voter fraud by mail," and Rep. Raskin debunked the misleading Republican claim that 28 million mail-in ballots have gone missing. In truth, most of those ballots were mailed to voters but not filled out or returne