I say “voting,” you say “rights.” 🗳

Washington does voter ID right.

I love how easily we can vote here in Washington state, and I think people around the country should be able to vote with the same ease.

In the previous Congress, I included this idea in the For the People Act, but despite passing the House the bill did not receive a vote in the Senate. So this year, Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33) and I reintroduced the America Votes Act to make it easier for Americans to register to vote and cast their ballots.

Across the country many states are tightening their voter registration laws – making it harder to register to vote and cast their ballot without a very specific form of ID.

In the first three months of this year, more than 150 restrictive voting bills have been introduced across the country. Of those, at least 32 bills would require voters to show their ID at the polls in order to vote.

These voter ID laws suppress people's ability to vote and disproportionately affect marginalized communities and communities of color.

For example, 25 percent of Black adults do not have a government-issued ID. Now compare that to the eight percent of white adults who do not have a government issued ID. And why are there so many Black people without ID? Many elderly Black citizens were born at home, in rural poverty, and so no birth certificate was ever issued.

Additionally, of the more than 700,000 transgender people in non-vote-by-mail-states, nearly 43 percent do not have an ID that reflects their correct name and gender. These laws are voter suppression and they affect the lives of real people.

This is wholly unacceptable. In Washington we have seen how great voting is when we make it easy and accessible. We believe every American deserves to exercise their rights regardless of whether or not they have a driver's license.

The America Votes Act will make it easier for folks to register to vote and cast their ballot because it will remove burdensome voter ID laws that disproportionately affect marginalized communities.

Democracy only works if we all have a voice. That is why I am asking Congress to pass the America Votes Act so we can ensure every American can have a voice.

More soon,

Rick