President biden
Joe BidenSenate holds the biggest vote in history as Democrats struggle to save the Capitol-nominated ex-Trump relief bill complains he won’t be able to sleep in prison Biden helps the Senate broker negotiate unemployment benefits MORE on Sunday, it will sign an executive order leveraging federal resources to protect and strengthen access to the polls as republican legislatures across the country seek to restrict voting rights in the wake of the 2020 elections.
Biden will sign an order that will direct agencies to increase access to electoral registration materials and reduce barriers to voting for certain groups, including military and foreign voters, Native Americans, people with disabilities and Native Americans.
The president on Sunday will also speak at the Martin and Coretta King Unity Breakfast to focus on voting rights. The order and the speech take place on the 56th anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” march in Selma, Alabama. The violent clash between 600 white civil rights and police demonstrators on the Edmund Pettus bridge in 1965 served as a catalyst for passing the Bill of Rights vote.
“Every eligible voter should be able to vote and count,” said Biden at breakfast, according to the prepared comments. “If you have the best ideas – you have nothing to hide. Let more people vote.”
Government officials have signaled that the executive order is intended to be a direct response to the violent Capitol insurrection on January 6, triggered by weeks of false claims by former President Trump and his allies about fraud in the 2020 election, as well as subsequent legislative efforts to reverse voting rights.
Biden’s executive order will cause federal agencies to use their websites and social media platforms to share voter registration information and distribute ballot registrations by mail during regular services.
The order also aims to modernize Vote.gov, an official electoral registration website administered by the federal government, to improve accessibility and update the user experience.
The rest of the order focuses on strengthening voter access to specific groups most likely to face obstacles to voting. For example, the order will instruct the attorney general to establish protocols to provide educational materials on voting for eligible individuals who are under the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The order will also establish a steering group on the voting rights of American Indians.
“The president is using his voice, his authority to make clear his view that people should choose what they want by voting and should be able to vote for the best ideas, and that it is not democratic to discourage access to voting,” an official administration said.
Biden’s measures to improve access to voting will not replace state laws, as elections are administered by state and local officials. Republican-ruled states, in particular, acted quickly to restrict access to ballots after the 2020 election saw a record turnout and an increase in the number of postal votes amid the pandemic.
Overall, more than 250 bills have been tabled in 43 states that would restrict access to the polls. The wavering states of Georgia and Arizona have seen lawmakers approve initiatives to limit absenteeism and early voting.
Congressional Democrats have taken comprehensive measures to strengthen voting rights, although the path to approval remains uncertain.
The House passed the People’s Law last week, which would require states to offer ballots by mail, a minimum of 15 days of early voting and calls for voter registration online and on the same day. The legislation also provides for the creation of independent commissions to designate parliamentary districts in an effort to end party gerrymandering.
Republicans joined in opposition to the bill, which would require at least 10 votes from the Republican Party in the Senate if all Democrats in the upper house voted in favor of it. Biden asked for approval of the project.