Letter to the Editor - For the People Act
Jennifer L Bales | Published on 1/31/2021
Dear Editor,
The For the People Act, the first bill introduced this year in Congress, will improve American elections by making our election system more free, fair, and accessible to all eligible Americans. This legislation will restore the Voting Rights Act, improve Automatic Voter Registration, modernize the public financing of elections through small donor matching funds, end gerrymandering, and restore transparency in our government. LWV of Boulder County joins with voting rights groups around the country in our enthusiastic support of this transformative bill.
Even though Colorado has already taken many steps to improve our election process and voter systems -- such as restoring voting rights to previously incarcerated community members, and putting in place anti-gerrymandering processes for drawing Congressional district maps -- we need action to make these and other changes on a national level. The bill also includes campaign finance provisions. For example, a small donor public-match financing process would help first-time election candidates, including those from underrepresented populations; funds for the public match would come not from taxpayers, but from a nominal surcharge on criminal and civil penalties assessed against corporate wrongdoers. The bill also increases donor transparency laws for media advertising through online platforms.
If passed, this legislation will enshrine into law what all Americans know: that everyone deserves a voice in our democracy. The For the People Act is a huge step forward for democracy, one that we strongly support.
Elizabeth Crowe, Co-President
League of Women Voters of Boulder County
--
Elizabeth Crowe, Co-President
League of Women Voters of Boulder County (LWVBC)
(303) 449-1502
elizabethcrowe@lwvbc.org
