Election Access and Democracy
Oregon led the nation in switching to all vote-by-mail (VBM) decades ago. I plan to sponsor legislation and work with the Oregon Congressional Delegation to make VBM national. It’s time working people, single parents, elderly, disabled and rural voters had equal access and time to vote. The truth is VBM is a more efficient and the most secure way of voting.
I support federal legislation to protect voting rights and outlaw Republican attempts to suppress votes especially for people of color, indigenous and other marginalized communities. I’m in full support and plan to co-sponsor the John Lewis Voting Rights Act which will:
Restore full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Secures voting access to racial minorities, youth and elderly
Creates a new system of tracking voting rights violations and enforcement mechanisms to enforce systematic voting rights violations used to discriminate against people of color
Increases transparency by requiring public notice for voting changes
Allows the Attorney General to provide federal election observers anywhere in the U.S. where there is a serious threat of racial discrimination or intimidation
Creates a new system of tracking voting rights violations and enforcement mechanisms to enforce systematic voting rights violations used to discriminate against people of color
Increases transparency by requiring public notice for voting changes
Allows the Attorney General to provide federal election observers anywhere in the U.S. where there is a serious threat of racial discrimination or intimidation
Requires multi-language voting information and materials for all elections
Outlaws certain kinds of voter rolls purging, used to eliminate voting rights of people of color, indigenous people, the poor and less active voters
I will sponsor legislation to do away with voter ID requirements, used in some states as a tool to suppress voter turnout of racial and marginalized communities.
I also support Motor Voter laws to easily, automatically register voters when he/she/they obtain or update their driver’s license.
I believe in democracy. I also believe our democracy has been purposely systematically dismantled over the last decades and continues to be by several Republicans in Congress. We have to get to the bottom of right-wing efforts to thwart our democracy and need to use all federal resources to combat domestic terrorism in all its forms.
I would like to use my investigative skills by serving on House Committees that root out corruption and efforts to undermine our democracy, and holds those responsible accountable. It is time to take a stand and strengthen the House’s subpoena power by establishing steep financial fines and criminal convictions for those who deny House subpoenas, our Constitution, and act above the law without consequences. Enough already! This should be a multi-partisan, American effort.
The United States is a beacon of democracy. I support the United States’ effort and programs to develop democracies around the world. I believe that this is best accomplished using diplomacy and fully funding of our State Department, foreign embassies and consulates, U.N and NATO partners.