AFA of PA ACTION ALERT
August 18, 2020
Issue
Tell Them ‘No’ on Universal Mail-in Ballots
Details US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is desperate to get universal mail-in ballots. She wants the money tucked into a coronavirus relief bill.
It actually was part of the House passed HEROES Act (HR 6800) which passed by a 208-199 vote on May 15, 2020. Nestled within the bill’s nearly 2,000 pages and among its $3 trillion is the “American Coronavirus/COVID-19 Election Safety and Security Act” or ACCESS Act. This bill nationalizes election laws:
- Regardless of existing state laws, every state would have to provide 15 days of early voting,
- same-day voter registration (including same-day online registration);
- electronic signatures rather than actual signatures ( In this case the Dems view obtaining actual signatures from voters as imposing cumbersome “due process” obligations on election officials.);
- The bill would also prohibit the use of any voter identification requirements, including photo identification or other identification documents. NOTE: In PA it is still the law that if someone votes at a polling place for the first time, they are required to show photo ID.;
- The ACCESS Act also requires that every voting jurisdiction mail an absentee ballot to every registered voter for the presidential election
- Requires online absentee ballot requests and processing.
Now, Senate GOP say the bill is “dead on arrival.” Let’s pray that is so . . . Nancy Pelosi has not given up and is using the current (actually ongoing) Post Office crisis to push for more money for the Post Office to handle millions of mail-in ballots!
Rick Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California Irvine, said in an interview in early July. “When election crimes do occur, absentee balloting is a more common way it occurs.” Imagine if every registered voter is automatically sent a mail-in ballot!
Action Steps
Tell Senators Bob Casey, Jr. and Pat Toomey, as well as your US Representatives ‘No” to universal mail-in voting.
