Thread by @MarkWarner

From Wisconsin to Georgia to Kentucky, we are already seeing a dangerous trend of making voters choose between their safety and their right to vote.

Today @SenateDems on the committee responsible for elections are calling for new protections to prevent voter suppression:

We are calling on the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, @NASSorg, and @NASEDorg to proactively defend the right to vote and prevent policies that could suppress vulnerable and historically disenfranchised voters.

Here’s what we need to do:

If states and localities plan to make coronavirus screening part of the voting process, those policies need strong privacy, security, and civil rights protections in place well before election day.

We know that in almost every state, evidence suggests that Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by the virus. We must prevent COVID-19 from being used as a pretext to suppress the vote in communities of color.

Also at particular risk are Americans with disabilities. For starters, any coronavirus-related voting policies should be ADA compliant.

And rather than closing polling places that don’t comply, we should make sure they are accessible, that poll workers are appropriately trained, and that reasonable accommodations are made.

At a more basic level, we just need to make it easier to vote. This is not rocket science. We already know what works because many of these policies have been used in both red and blue states for years.

Let’s start with no-excuse mail-in voting. No matter what misinformation the President spreads about mail-in voting, we know it is safe and secure.

Registered voters who determine they cannot safely go to the polls should be able to vote by mail. Period.

Similarly, same-day absentee ballots are another way to accommodate and expand access for qualified voters who are trying to safely exercise their right to vote.

In Virginia, we have what’s called “curbside voting,” where seniors and people with disabilities can vote from their car. This is another safe and secure way for people to cast their ballots without exposing themselves to coronavirus.

Whatever steps that states and localities take, we need to combat the spread of election misinformation by publicizing any changes to voting procedures months in advance of the election, in a variety of languages and formats.

This is a civil rights issue that is at the core of our democracy.

The right to vote belongs to the voters, not to politicians. It’s our job to make sure Americans can exercise their rights in a way that is safe and secure.