IFPTE Urges Senate to Advance "For the People Act" Electoral Reform Bill
This morning, IFPTE sent a letter requesting Senators vote to allow floor debate on S.1, the “For the People Act of 2021,” sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (OR). A companion bill, H.R.1, was passed by the House on March 3rd.
The vote today is to move the bill for to the Senate floor for debate, which is necessary for the bill to move to a floor vote.
Read IFPTE’s letter below or download a PDF of the letter here.
June 22, 2021
Dear Senator,
We write to you as the executive officers of the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers (IFPTE), a labor union representing upwards of 90,000 members across the United States to express our strong support for S.1, the “For the People Act of 2021.” We urge you to advance this legislation to the floor for debate and vote for its passage.
The For the People Act addresses serious and well-documented deficiencies and inequities in our existing voting systems and electoral processes. Recent changes to state election procedures have created a patchwork of rules and regulations that threaten the core principle of our democracy: free and fair elections. Whether these efforts are well-meaning or misguided, many of these changes carry the potential of politicizing the process of electoral administration and the certification of election results. Further, long-existing concerns with partisan redistricting have already given dominant parties in states an overwhelming advantage and, as a result, have denied communities – especially communities of color – a fair opportunity exercise political power and elect Representatives that reflect their priorities, preferences, and concerns.
This comprehensive legislation expands and better guarantees the franchise of voting throughout the country and moves our electoral systems into the 21st century. It strengthens ethics rules for public servants and candidates for public office and provides resources for states to strengthen voting systems and election audit. The provisions in the bill will see to it that redistricting is not a partisan political activity but a transparent process with uniform rules and independent commissions, emphasizing districts drawn to include geographically concentrated communities. S.1’s inclusion of automatic voter registration and steps to modernize mail-in and early voting create a national standard for secure voting processes. This bill also sets a legal standard for wait times for voting and directs states to allocate resources equitably so that all voters have an opportunity to cast their ballot without an unfair burden placed on them.
This legislation is critical to repairing our electoral systems so that working Americans have a fair and unencumbered opportunity to participate in our democracy. Therefore, we request you vote to advance S.1 to the floor for debate and vote to pass this bill and restore the promise of American democracy.
Sincerely,
Paul Shearon
IFPTE President
Matthew S. Biggs
IFPTE Secretary Treasurer/Legislative Director