Pelosi: ‘No One Should Be Forced’ to Vote at a Polling Place in Coronavirus Pandemic

Thursday, during her weekly briefing, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said because voting in the United States was “under assault” from the coronavirus, it must be protected with nationwide vote-by-mail so no one is “forced” to go to a polling place and risk their health.

Pelosi said, “Voting is under assault both from a systemic nationwide campaign of voter suppression and from the coronavirus. The fear of getting sick and not to go to the polls. People should not have to choose between voting and preserving their good health and that of their families. Because no matter what you do when you go out, you bring it home. Again, no one should be forced to vote for their health or their vote.”

She continued, “In the HEROES Act, we added the balance of what we think we need to have voting at home and to protect the ballot. That would be $3.6 billion. A small price to pay for our democracy and the good health of Americans going to the polls. We will be there to expand vote at home, vote by mail some call it, including no-excuse absentee ballots, same-day registration, and again, having polling places available for those who want to participate in person for whatever reason.”

She added, “This is about the livelihood and life of our democracy. Essential to the life of our democracy is removing obstacles of participation to voting. And now, even more so now, when voting can be a risk to your health, as we saw demonstrated in Wisconsin.”

She concluded, “We don’t want anything to stand in the way of the right to vote.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN