Washington, DC – The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) praised today’s House passage of the For the People Act (H.R.1). The legislation is designed to improve election integrity by focusing on voting and election laws, campaign finance, and ethics.
Contact: Tim McHugh, Friends Committee on National Legislation, media@fcnl.org; 202-903-2515
“The government and governance of our country works best when all of our citizens feel empowered and are involved in our democracy on a free, fair, and equal basis. That is fundamental to a healthy society. And while no one bill or piece of legislation can act as a salve or cure-all, H.R.1 is a large step in the right direction,” said Diane Randall, FCNL’s executive secretary. “We are hopeful the Senate will follow the House’s lead and take action on this issue which is foundational to our democracy.”
The for The People Act expands early voting while simplifying absentee voting. It enhances federal support for voting system security. It expands disclosure requirements for donations and campaign transparency while creating a multiple matching system for small campaign donations. Lastly, it will ease the creation of automatic voter registration rolls as well as restoring voting rights to the formerly incarcerated.
“It seems that every two years something goes wrong during our national elections and more Americans are losing faith in the integrity of our elections. This isn’t new. In fact, it’s been the norm since at least Florida 2000. What’s new is serious Congressional action to address the situation,” said José Woss, FCNL’s legislative manager for criminal justice and election integrity. “The average House election costs more than $1 million and Senate races regularly top $10 million. Unregulated campaign donations ensure the voices of ordinary people are drowned out by waves of anonymous money.”
“We hold our government institutions and officials to rigorous ethical standards of fairness and honesty. We should not stand for anything less when it comes to campaign finance, voter suppression, and election integrity,” Woss concluded.
The bill now moves to the Senate where its prospects are currently unclear.
To learn more, please visit www.fcnl.org.
