U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Fort Worth) dedicated May 20 as the 28th anniversary of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).
Set forth by Bill Clinton in 1993, the National Voter Registration Act establishes certain requirements for voter registration regarding federal office elections.
“Each year, millions of Americans cannot vote because they missed their registration deadline. On this 28th anniversary of the #NationalVoterRegistrationAct, let’s improve access to voter registration by expanding online, automatic and same-day voter registration,” Veasey said on Twitter.
Section 5 of the NVRA requires that states offer voter registration opportunities at state motor vehicle agencies. Section 6 of the NVRA requires that states offer voter registration opportunities by mail-in application. Section 7 of the NVRA requires that states offer voter registration opportunities at certain state and local offices, including public assistance and disability offices. Section 8 of the NVRA contains requirements concerning the administration of voter registration by states and requires states to implement procedures to maintain accurate and current voter registration lists.
Veasey and his fellow Democrats are trying to get the For The People Act passed.
“The stakes could not be higher,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), chair of the Senate Rules Committee and sponsor of the bill, told Marist Circle. “We need to take these threats to our democracy head-on with immediate action to restore Americans’ confidence in our political system.”
The legislation seeks to create a national standard for voting rights.
The Republicans, however, strongly oppose the bill, and their counterparts at the state level are trying to craft legislation that seeks to preserve voting laws in their favor.
“Our democracy is not in crisis, and we’re not going to let one party take over our democracy under the false pretense of saving it,” said Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
