The legislation, which has an allocated value of $20 billion, could potentially ''secure election infrastructure'' by upgrading voting equipment and registration systems, help and train nonpartisan election officials and poll workers, protect election officials from threats, and ''increase ballot access for minorities, voters with disabilities, and those who live overseas or on Indian lands.'' Cities like NEw York already allow illegal immigrants to vote in municipal elections; the proposed legislation could enable election workers in Federal elections within those cities to decide if a potential voter can vote - sidestepping Federal Election Law by empowering the poll workers with the decision. Once a ballot is cast at the polls, it is virtually impossible to determine which ballot belongs to which voter, thus making challenges of fraud nearly impossible to prove.
''Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy; but in recent years, we have seen a barrage of threats seeking to undermine our elections,'' Klobuchar said.
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She added: ''It is critical that we respond to these threats head-on by ensuring that state and local governments have the resources needed to strengthen the administration of our elections, protect election officials on the frontlines, and provide all eligible voters with the opportunity to make their voices heard.''
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On Thursday, Klobuchar will manage a hearing on the administration of the 2022 midterm elections.
This event will reportedly focus on election security, election-related misinformation, and potential threats against election workers.
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The Klobuchar-Warren bill comes one day after the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race — specifically GOP primary candidates Dr. Mehmet Oz (31.2% of the vote), David McCormick (31.1%) and Kathy Barnette (24.7%) — ground to a halt late Tuesday into early Wednesday because state officials weren't fully equipped to calculate certain votes, including mail-in ballots.
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It also follows reports of Ohio and Texas posting big voting turnouts in Tuesday's primary elections.
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"This bill is a critical step towards empowering Americans to participate in the democratic process," Warren said.
Democrats say they feel a growing sense of urgency to enhance access to the polls after 19 states enacted new voting restrictions in 2019, and allies of former President Trump continue to claim that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
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Some Democrats were concerned that Douglas Mastriano, who has repeatedly raised debunked claims of election fraud and was present at the Jan. 6 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, won the Republican nomination for governor in Pennsylvania Tuesday.
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“I’ve been calling on the federal government to allocate $20 billion in election funding for states and localities for years. I’m glad to partner with Sen. Klobuchar on this effort,” said Warren.
The Klobuchar-Warren proposal would necessitate states to offer plans for distributing resources and administering election activities before receiving funds.
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The bill's co-sponsors are Sens. Tina Smith, D-Minn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Angus King, I-Maine, Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.
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