Election Systems Must Be Made SAFE
Statement of Lisa Gilbert, Vice President of Legislative Affairs, Public Citizen
Note: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Rules is considering, and is likely to approve, the Secure America’s Federal Elections Act (SAFE), which would mandate that paper ballots be verified, authorize grant money to update voting equipment and sustain support for security improvements and establish cybersecurity requirements for elections. The full House plans to vote on the legislation later this week.
Public Citizen applauds this essential step in protecting our democracy and improving our election systems. The SAFE Act is aptly named as the Mueller report made obvious the enormity of our election security challenges. Making this bill law is the responsible thing to do.
If our elected officials care about the safety of our elections, they will pass this commonsense legislation. Trust in our elections is the bedrock of democracy. We cannot allow the threat of foreign interference to derail one of the most fundamental elements of our democratic system.