ADVOCACY

Below are examples of official testimony, letters, and other materials developed by Fair Elections Center (formerly Fair Elections Legal Network) on various issues nationwide.

ELECTION ADMINISTRATION & LEGISLATION 2024

2024 Statement in support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act which will restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, repairing damage done by the Supreme Court and modernizing the most successful civil rights law in history.

2024 Testimonies in support of Minnesota HF 3447 and SF 3616 which are bills that would require temporary polling locations to be established by county auditors in Minnesota when requested by a postsecondary institution or the student government of an institution, making voting before election day more accessible to college students in Minnesota.

2024 Testimony in support of Virginia HB 1490 which would give local governments more flexibility to establish additional voter satellite offices while protecting existing in-person voting access set out by the Virginia Code. The bill also provides that reductions in dates or hours cannot be enacted within 60 days of a general election.

2024 Testimony in support of Maryland HB 436 which would reduce the age at which an individual may preregister to vote, from sixteen years to fifteen years and nine months. Preregistration permits otherwise-eligible citizens who are not yet of voting age to complete a voter registration application and automatically be added to the state’s voter rolls when they turn 18. Such laws have been shown in other states to improve registration rates and to increase the likelihood that these young citizens will vote upon reaching voting age. These laws prepare our young people for a future with fewer barriers to vote, expand opportunities for teens to organize in their communities, and assist students in developing early voting habits that will last a lifetime. Michigan passed such a law last year.

2024 Testimony in support of Maryland House Bill 563 which aims to widen the tent to cover more language-minority communities: HB 563 would lower the translation threshold for election materials from 5% to 2% (with at least 100 individuals) of the voting age population in a county or less than 2% but with at least 4,000 individuals. HB 563 also would correct for a gap in the federal language assistance coverage formula by not limiting its coverage to only the few language-minority groups identified in the Voting Rights Act coverage formula (American Indian, Asian American, Alaskan Natives, or of Spanish heritage).

2024 Testimony in support of Maryland House Bill 627 which would designate the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services as an automatic voter registration agency. Expanding automatic voter registration to state correctional facilities would simplify the registration process for newly re-enfranchised citizens and emphasize the importance of their participation in democracy. In 2016, Maryland law established that as soon as an individual with a felony conviction was released from incarceration, they automatically retained the right to vote. In 2018, the Maryland General Assembly established automatic voter registration, seeking to streamline the process at the MVA and other government offices. HB 627 is an opportunity to realize the full potential of these two policies and expand automatic voter registration to ensure that returning citizens face no barriers in exercising their right under Maryland law to have a voice in our elections.

ELECTION ADMINISTRATION & LEGISLATION 2023

2023 letter expressing concern over the implementation of HB 458 to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. We urge that his office takes lawful measures to reduce confusion during the early voting period prior to the law taking effect.

2023 testimony in support of HF 495 which would require postsecondary institutions enrolling attendees receiving state financial aid to provide the necessary residential information to election officials for use in the election day voter registration of qualifying students.

ELECTION ADMINISTRATION & LEGISLATION 2022

2022 letter in strong opposition to HB 458 to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine; We request that he vetoes this bill, which would make it harder for Ohioans to vote.

2022 letter to the Ohio Senate Local Government and Elections Committee in opposition to HB 458, which would make it harder for Ohioans to vote.

2022 letter to the Ohio House Oversight Committee in opposition to HB 294, which would make it harder for Ohioans to vote.

2022 letter to the Virginia Commissioner of Elections to ensure that administrative errors don't interfere with Virginians’ right to register and update their voter registration information at Commonwealth Departments of Motor Vehicles.

2022 letter to the Brazos County (TX) Commissioners Court in opposition to the court removing an early voting site on the campus of Texas A&M University, potentially a violation of the 26th Amendment.

2022 letter to the NH Special Committee on Voter Confidence, urging it to condemn election denialism and to modernize the state's election laws.

2022 letter to the Brazos County (TX) election administrator, urging him to designate an early voting location on the Texas A&M University campus.

2022 letter to the Louisiana House Senate & Governmental Affairs Committee in support of HRC 14, which would would create a task force to address barriers to voting for Louisianans with disabilities.