by Tomi Allison

This article first appeared as a Letter to Editor in the Herald Times, June 2021

At last, a proposal in the Senate designed to benefit every U.S. citizen:  S-1, the For the People Act, which benefits every voter regardless of party. It would:

• Let the voter register online or as late as Election Day
• Increase security through the use of paper ballots
• Raise oversight of election vendors, and encourage the use of risk-limiting audits
• Stop wholesale purges of voter lists and conduct automatic registration
• Shorten voting lines by means of early voting and vote-by-mail
• It would crack down on voter intimidation and disinformation
• End partisan gerrymandering by replacing politicians with citizens commissions in the job of redistricting (voters should pick their representatives, not the other way around) 
• Restore the right to vote among citizens who have completed their felony sentences 
• Support statehood and full voting rights for residents of Washington, D.C.
• It would end secret money in politics and amplify the voices of small donors by matching small donations 
• Tighten the constraints on Super PACS
• Overturn Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and restore the obvious distinction between money and speech
• It would slow the revolving door between Congress and the lobby brigade
• Enforce ethics rules
• Create a code of conduct for Supreme Court justices
• Require disclosure of tax records by presidential and vice presidential candidates 

It’s a rare Senate measure that would benefit ordinary citizens. Let your Senators Braun (202-224-4814) and  Young (202-224-5623) know that it has your full support. CALL TODAY!