WASHINGTON – In op-eds for Talking Points Memo, the Arizona Republic, Cleveland.com, Nevada Independent, Tampa Bay Times – and an accompanying Spanish version in the Orlando Sentinel – All Voting is Local Pennsylvania, Arizona, Ohio, Nevada, and Florida state directors share lessons learned from the 2020 general election—with firsthand accounts of how changes spurred by the pandemic affected voters—and urge officials to fix outdated voting systems and expand access to the ballot.
All Voting is Local holds state and local officials accountable and advocates for policies that remove barriers to the ballot before they silence voters on Election Day. Across its eight states – Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – AVL’s 2021 priorities include:
- Equitable access to early voting locations
- Fair registration practices and an end to wrongful voter purges
- Easier vote by mail processes and expanded use of ballot drop boxes
- An end to partisan attacks on election officials and authorizing states to count ballots sooner so elections are certified on time.
“Rather than attacking nonpartisan election officials and voters,” wrote Scott Seeborg, All Voting is Local Pennsylvania state director, for Talking Points Memo, “politicians should remember and embrace their accountability to the public, remove barriers to the ballot, make voting more fair and easy by increasing funding for more early voting sites and drop boxes in every county, and to provide as well as continuing paid postage for mail-in ballots.”
Read Seeborg’s op-ed here.
“The 2020 general election was a win for democracy: Arizonans made their voices heard amid unprecedented challenges,” wrote Alex Gulotta, All Voting is Local Arizona state director, for the Arizona Republic. “But it’s not too soon to protect democracy. Now is the time to improve our elections or risk outdated systems and further disenfranchisement of vulnerable voters.”
Read Gulotta’s op-ed here.
“The COVID-19 pandemic exposed troubling inequities in our election system and — if not for the hard work of voting rights advocates and local election officials — Ohio’s general election could have been a train wreck,” wrote Kayla Griffin, All Voting is Local Ohio state director, for Cleveland.com. “As it stands, it was far more difficult than it needed to be.”
Read Griffin’s op-ed here.
“AB4 showed what is possible when officials meet the needs of the people in a crisis,” wrote Kerry Durmick, All Voting is Local Nevada state director, for the Nevada Independent. “But it shouldn’t take a deadly pandemic for Nevadans to have free, fair elections. AB4 gave us a glimpse of the way voting ought to be for us all. We must not turn back now.”
Read Durmick’s op-ed here.
“Since the 2000 election, Florida tried to overcome its embarrassing performance through legislative action, but the results have been insufficient and sometimes punitive,” wrote Brad Ashwell, All Voting is Local Florida state director, for the Tampa Bay Times. “As we move into 2021, decision-makers and election officials must put their fellow citizens’ interests and safety first by addressing failures while building on what’s working.”
Read Ashwell’s op-ed here.