House Democrats, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), are angling to include changes to voting methods, including mail-in voting, as part of its next stimulus package.
“In terms of the elections, I think that we’ll probably be moving to vote by mail,” Pelosi said during a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
“That’s why we wanted to have more resources in this third bill that just was signed by the president to get those resources to the states to facilitate the reality of life that we are going to have to have more vote by mail,” she added.
Pelosi’s push follows her failed attempt to hijack the recently signed emergency relief proposal with a swathe of progressive agenda items, such as same-day voter registration, ballot harvesting, and vote-by-mail. Even prior to offering her own version of the bill, Democrats had been pushing for changes to voting methods as the United States continues in its efforts to battle the coronavirus outbreak.
“Congress needs to act to make voting by mail the norm going forward, with the specifics outlined by election expert Marc Elias below to make it accessible for all,” failed Trump challenger Hillary Clinton said this month:
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) issued a similar call, demanding states to “bring the ballot box” to voters in the general election.
Citing the election delays in both Louisiana and Georgia and warning of an event where “Americans might have to choose between casting a ballot and protecting their health,” Klobuchar formally called for vote-by-mail to be made available to every eligible voter in the country, come November.
She wrote:
The best way to ensure that this virus doesn’t keep people from the ballot box is to bring the ballot box to them. We must allow every American the ability to vote by mail. And we must expand early voting so that voters who are not able to vote by mail are not exposed to the elevated infection risks of long lines and crowded polling locations.
“Our legislation will guarantee every voter a secure mail-in paper ballot and help states cover the cost of printing, self-sealing envelopes, ballot tracking and postage,” she explained, calling vote-by mail a “time-tested, reliable way for Americans to exercise their constitutional rights.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), however, is not in a rush to begin phase four of the relief package.
“I think we need to wait a few days here, a few weeks, and see how things are working out,” McConnell said during a Tuesday appearance on The Hugh Hewitt Show.
“Let’s see how things are going and respond accordingly,” he continued. “I’m not going to allow this to be an opportunity for the Democrats to achieve unrelated policy items that they would not otherwise be able to pass.”