A $2 million ad buy in three states by Downers Grove-based Restoration Action is urging voters and U.S. Senators to reject the For the People Act of 2021, claiming it will threaten election integrity in the country.
If signed into law, the For the People Act of 2021, which passed the House, would change voter requirements. The measure now awaits a Senate vote.
Restoration Action is running ads in certain states to ask senators to vote against the legislation.
“We must protect the integrity of elections in America,” Doug Truax, founder and president of Restoration Action, said. “This legislation (Senate Bill 1) strips away critical safeguards necessary to ensure our elections are free, fair, and transparent.”
The ad script reads: "Americans expect their elections to have safeguards. Only then can we have confidence the results are fair and accurate. Incredibly, some in Congress want to strip away those critical safeguards. No more voter ID. Signature verification on absentee ballots – virtually eliminated. And effectively allowing non-citizens to vote. The list goes on. Every illegal vote cancels someone’s legitimate vote – like yours. Tell your Senators your vote matters. Tell them to vote no on Senate Bill 1."
The For the People Act of 2021 would eliminate any requirements for voter identification even though all states require some form of ID at the polls or for verification of a mail-in ballot. The bill would allow voters to sign affidavits instead of proving their identity with a photo ID.
The legislation also could reduce signature verification for absentee and mail-in ballots.
The bill states, "a state may not require notarization or witness signature or other formal authentication (other than voter attestation) as a condition of obtaining or casting an absentee ballot." That leaves states the option to not have voters verify their signature for an absentee/mail-in ballot. In addition, the bill would require at least two election judges to dismiss a signature – which limits the capability for ballots to be dismissed based on signature verification. If a ballot is rejected, an individual does not have to appear in person to take care of the discrepancy, but a phone verification will be permissible.
The legislation would also eliminate voter identification even though a recent poll shows that a large majority of Americans support voter ID laws. A Rasmussen poll showed 75% of Americans support voter ID laws and that support has increased in recent years. In 2018, 67% of voters said photo ID should be required before voting. This year that number jumped to 89% of Republicans and 60% of Democrats. Of the voters polled, 77% were not affiliated with either major party.
All 50 states require a valid signature for an absentee/mail-in ballot to be counted, according to Ballotpedia. Amber McReynolds, CEO of the National Vote at Home Institute, told The New York Times that signature matching "is the best way to strike a balance between security, transparency, and accessibility for voters" when done properly, including a process to fix signature mismatches.
But the For the People Act of 2021 would eliminate voter ID and even signature verification. In addition, the government would automatically register people to vote through various methods and agencies--and could easily register non-citizens as the government would take a mass approach of registering voters. It also offers non-citizens protections from state or federal law for being registered to vote.
The Foundation for Government Accountability indicated on its website that "S.1, the so-called For the People Act, would wrest control of elections away from their jurisdiction. Instead of closing elections loopholes that have eroded public confidence in elections, S.1 will expand on the many problems of the 2020 election and make them permanent fixtures."
"There are many reasons that S.1 is a problem for the country, but there are eight especially troubling provisions Americans should know about. These provisions disenfranchise eligible voters and usurp the control over elections to unelected bureaucrats in D.C.," FGA said in prepared remarks. "Without the opportunity for state legislative oversight, the Biden administration can bully and penalize state legislatures for budgeting, planning, and running elections at the local level, even if their actions are done with integrity, fairness, and equal access for all."
States are equipped to manage their own elections and some recent bills aimed at reform to protect elections in the future are being challenged by groups aligned with the Democratic Party, according to FGA.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Senate File 413 in early March, aimed at protecting the integrity of Iowa elections by providing fair and consistent statewide rules to govern the conduct of elections to include uniform parameters for absentee ballots and voter registration.
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