March, 27 2020, 12:00am EDT
Stand Up America: $400 Million Not Nearly Enough To Protect Elections As Coronavirus Crisis Accelerates
Congress Must Provide More Funding In Next Coronavirus Response Package
WASHINGTON
After both chambers of Congress passed a stimulus bill that includes $400 million in funding for states to implement vote-by-mail and other voting reforms, Stand Up America Founder and President Sean Eldridge released the following statement:
"No voter should have to choose between protecting their health and exercising their right to vote. Period. While we are grateful to Democratic lawmakers and activists who forced Republicans to increase the amount of election assistance included in this bill, the $400 million allocated in it is simply not enough to meaningfully ensure the integrity of our elections.
"The next COVID-19 response package must include sufficient funding for states to implement vote-by-mail, guarantee no-excuse absentee voting, expand online and same-day registration, and increase opportunities to vote early.
"That's why Stand Up America will continue driving grassroots actions until lawmakers allocate adequate funding that will allow states to guarantee that every eligible voter can safely cast their ballot this fall."
Earlier this month, Stand Up America launched a national campaign demanding that lawmakers provide at least $2 billion in funding to ensure that Americans can safely vote. Community members made more than 70,000 constituent calls to Congress urging lawmakers to provide the funding to implement vote-by-mail and expand no-excuse absentee voting, online voter registration, and early voting.
The Brennan Center for Justice has estimated that $2 billion is required to ensure that every eligible voter can cast their ballot this fall.
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with over two million community members across the country. Focused on grassroots advocacy to strengthen our democracy and oppose Trump's corrupt agenda, Stand Up America has driven over 600,000 phone calls to Congress and mobilized tens of thousands of protestors across the country.
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Since the right-wing U.S. Supreme Court ended nearly half a century of nationwide abortion rights with Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization in June 2022, over 20 states have enacted new restrictions on reproductive healthcare, creating a culture of confusion and fear at many medical facilities.
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"This is the reality that extreme Republicans call 'pro-life.'"
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But it's unclear what fines might be imposed on more than a dozen hospitals that the Biden administration says failed to properly treat pregnant patients in 2022.
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Responding to the reporting on social media, journalist Jane Mayer declared, "This is barbaric."
Texas Poor People's Campaign said that women in the state "are being left to die in ER waiting rooms. We cannot let this policy violence against women continue. Please join us as we mobilize voters for the '24 election."
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"MAGA abortion bans deny women lifesaving care," stressed Alex Wall, senior vice president for digital advocacy at the Center for American Progress. Citing examples from Texas and Florida in the AP report, he reiterated, "MAGA Republicans did this."
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