Former President Barack Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder admitted he saw coronavirus as “an opportunity” to permanently change the way Americans voted.
“Coronavirus gives us an opportunity to revamp our electoral system so that it permanently becomes more inclusive and becomes easier for the American people to access,” Holder said in an interview with TIME magazine.
He called for a “sea change” in voting systems, allowing Americans to vote from home, using prepaid mail-in ballots and unlimited absentee voting. Holder did not discuss concerns about voter fraud in his interview but posited that any special exceptions made to the voting process during the coronavirus should remain permanent.
“It would be foolhardy to take these pro-democracy measures off the table after we get on the other side of the virus,” he said. “These are changes that we should make permanent because it will enhance our democracy.”
Holder’s comments align with former President Barack Obama, who voiced support for mail-in voting and joined forces with former First Lady Michelle Obama and prominent celebrities to press the United States for more mail-in voting.
Failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have also called for mail-in voting in the 2020 election.