Democrats introduced a bill on Thursday called the “Vote at Home Act,” which would make permanent several voting practices that may have contributed to widespread vote fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
The bill seeks to “massively expand vote-at-home ballot access” by enacting automatic voter registration and providing voters with pre-paid ballot envelopes, according to Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.
The two Democrats hailed the bill as part of a larger effort to “fight voter suppression.”
“Our democracy is stronger when every American can vote, without standing in ridiculous lines or having to take time off work or school to exercise their Constitutional rights,” Wyden said in a statement.
The Democrats argued this bill would capitalize on “the successful expansion of voting at home and by mail in the November 2020 election.”
“We should continue to make voting easier, not harder. This important bill would strengthen and clarify the right to vote at home, the most secure and convenient way for voters to exercise the franchise,” Blumenauer said in a statement.
However, congressional Republicans have warned Congress should take the opposite approach and begin reining in harmful vote-by-mail initiatives that led to chaos throughout the 2020 election.
Thousands of citizens filed affidavits on behalf of former President Trump’s campaign alleging malpractice and voter intimidation, which occurred more frequently because mail-in voting.
Republicans introduced their own bill, known as the Save Democracy Act, after the election to clearly define when and how mail-in ballots can be accepted and increase voter registration verifications for those who choose to vote by mail.
“This bill will restore the public’s trust that their vote is counted and their voice is heard,” Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said in a statement.
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., agreed and said in a statement that if Congress does not “work to ensure our citizens have confidence in our election process, then this body is not addressing a major reason for division in our country.”
