U.S. Senator from Maine Angus King (I) has joined a group of his Democrat colleagues in sponsoring the “Right to Vote Act,” a bill that would place significant restrictions on states looking to implement stricter voter ID laws.
[RELATED: Maine Dems Unanimously Reject Voter ID…]
The bill, introduced last week by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), would articulate a “fundamental right to vote” in federal elections for all U.S. citizens of legal voting age, and would prohibit any government action that “diminish[es] the ability to vote,” except for when that action is the “least restrictive means of significantly furthering an important, particularized government interest.”
A “substantial impairment” to the right to vote, as set forth in the bill, includes measures under which voters are still able to vote notwithstanding the impairment, i.e., stricter voter ID laws, shortening vote times, or restrictions on voter registration.
The proposed legislation would also allow the federal government to sue state and local governments for implementing an action that “diminishes the ability, or otherwise makes it more difficult, to vote.”
“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy,” Sen. King said Tuesday. “As we continue to work toward a ‘More Perfect Union,’ we must ensure every American has the right to have their voice heard at the ballot box.”
“For the first time, the Right to Vote Act will enshrine — in federal law — the fundamental right to vote in federal elections, and will allow U.S. citizens the right to challenge laws that make it harder to vote,” King said.
“In the face of state-level threats that undercut our access to the ballot box, we must act now to protect our democratic process so we can pass our nation’s tradition of self-governance on to the next generation,” he added.
The “Right to Vote Act” is cosponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 36 states require voters to show some form of identification (with varying degrees of strictness) at the polls — 14 states, including Maine, do not require voters to show an ID to get a ballot.
In February, Democrats on the Maine Legislature’s Legislative Council voted down a bill proposed by Rep. Heidi Sampson (R-Alfred) that would have required voters to present a valid photo ID at the polls, alongside other election integrity measures surrounding absentee ballots and ballot harvesting.
Although non-citizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections, registrars of voters in Maine are not required to check the immigration status of voter registration applicants.
[RELATED: South Portland City Clerk Reveals How Easily Non-Citizens Can Vote in Maine Elections…]
When registering to vote in Maine, applicants are required to check a box stating that they are a U.S. citizen and to present some form of ID and proof of residence.
However, photo ID is not required to register to vote, and Maine accepts out-of-state IDs — including from states which issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, including Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, and Connecticut.
Georgia passed a law for election integrity. The likes of King and the rest said it would supress black voting. Just the opposite, record black turnout happened.
Remember what the MLB cowards and fools did ? Anyone, anyone ?
So is King Angus going to introduce legislation to stop id requirements at banks to make it easier to withdraw money or do away with id to fly in order to stop the substantial impairment to be able to travel?
This carpetbagging phony is all about himself.
He probably wants a new Tesla
Voter fraud is the only reason this old fossil is in office. No way that many people are stupid enough to
Vote for such a shmuck like him
If you get a drivers license, a passport, work id etc why not a VOTER ID?
Time to STOP all the voter fraud that continues throughout the country by eliminating early voting, mail in voting (except under certain circumstances). Why are these needed?
There should be – one day to vote, count the votes that day, declare a winner that night. No more three or four weeks to decide who ‘they’ want to win.
Sorry kinghole states have the constructional duty to regulate voting as they see fit. Which will become obvious in November when the united conservative states remove Brandon from their ballets under the 25th amendment on Election Day. Big shout out to SB for laying out the justification on how it’s ok for one unelected person to remove a candidate, bravo.
Geez Klingon great job! This ranks right up there with that Illinois judge who ruled illegals can carry guns!
Why doesn’t he just make it easy and sponsor a bill to legalize voter cheating of any method? That is his and the Democrat’s intentions. The Dems + King have no moral compass, believe cheating is ok if the ends justify the means. They are allergic to laws, morality and family values. What kind of breeding creates such subhuman behavior? 300 years these types would have been run out of the village and become extinct. Society would not have allowed behavior like this for the survival of the village.
Strange how bill titles never seem to accurately portray the contents ( see “Affordable Care Act”). Proper title for this would be Preserve the Traditional Democrat Right to Cheat in Elections Act.
Hey there Maine’s most notorious crony capitalist, numerous studies have proven that masks don’t work and can cause bacterial pneumonia. Much like the masks don’t work neither are you working toward election integrity. Both you and the masks need to be retired.
How do you prove you are an American citizen without an ID? You cannot even take a book out of the library without and ID. It has become way to easy go vote and cheat in our elections. They ate aiming for one party rule nationwide. How is the dictatorship working out in Maine?
NO VOTE FOR YOU!
Yes, we must preserve our republic by allowing only Citizens to vote,….
Voting should be done only one day, the 2nd Tuesday in November, ‘n only by verified Citizens,….
Voted ID is a must,….
Ranked choice voting also needs to be abolished too,….
It’s easy for wilfully ignorant people to call King names and pretend we have non-citizens voting in our elections, but there’s no evidence for it. The fact that this non-issue continues to be trumpeted as an emergency strongly suggests that these proposed laws are about something other than protecting the integrity of elections.
It would be much cheaper to give people that cannot afford ID’s free ones.