Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson need your help to make sure all our voices are heard in November. They, along with their friend, Michelle Obama, co-chair When We All Vote, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the race and age voting gap.
“Yes, we had COVID-19. Yes, we made the news, and luckily, we got through it. But we know there are millions of Americans and families across this country who have been put in desperate situations and have not come out so lucky. We’ve seen firsthand the effect this disease can have on our families and communities, and now we need your help to make sure it doesn’t stop anyone from voting in the upcoming elections.”
Just like Michelle Obama said, “No one should have to choose between making their voices heard and being healthy and safe.”
When We All Vote supports the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020, because it includes three key elements that make our elections more safe and fair. We join When We All Vote in their commitment to increase voter participation in every election by implementing these changes:
- Expand Access to Vote-by-Mail: Vote-by-mail could be the only safe and secure option for some Americans. States must offer multiple options for requesting, receiving, and returning mail-in ballots while maintaining the security of our voting system; multiple ways to request mail-in ballots, including online, in person, by phone, and by mail; and safe and secure options for returning ballots by expanding deadlines for mail-in ballots to be requested and returned.
- Expand Early In-person Voting: While all Americans should have the choice to vote by mail, it is crucial that we recognize that many people will prefer to vote in person. We must make in-person voting as safe and available as possible. Expanded early voting will allow voters to cast their ballot a few days or sometimes weeks before Election Day.
- Expand Online Voter Registration: We should not make voter registration complicated if we really want everyone to participate. Online voter registration is a safe, accessible, and secure way that voters all across this country can sign up to participate in our democracy. It allows eligible voters to quickly and easily register to vote online from the comfort of their own home.
Every state should have the right to be able to have vote-by-mail, in-person voting or by online voting. It is everyone’s right to be able to vote in a way that is convenient for them to do so.
All people should have an easy time voting regardless of their income, age, race, ethnicity, ability status or other diversity factors. Allowing people to vote by mail or to extend the time on the poles will help everyone vote in a democratic way without restrictions from above.