Much gratitude to U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and Congressman Chris Deluzio for introducing bicameral legislation to protect voters and election workers from intimidation and threats of violence, and for inviting Kathy Boockvar to speak at the press conference announcing the bill.
The Freedom from Intimidation in Elections Act aims to protect voters and election workers by ensuring that voters can cast their ballots – and election workers can do their jobs – free of intimidation, during all stages of the election process from vote casting to canvassing to certification. It also establishes a rebuttable presumption that a person carrying a visible firearm while engaging in election-related activities is engaging in voter intimidation – with an important exception for law enforcement officers acting within their official duties.
As Kathy stated at the press conference, “Over the last four years, election officials have faced unprecedented threats and challenges. Immediately following the 2020 election, there was a deliberate effort to intimidate and terrorize election officials. And sadly, the circumstances have gotten worse since, with more election workers experiencing threats, intimidation, doxing, swatting, and more. This has got to stop. These are the kind of actions we expect in dictatorships and tyrannical countries – not in America.”
This bill is a critical part of the solution. And as Kathy mentioned, another key part of the solution is to address the inadequate funding of elections, by including in our federal budgets consistent and substantial investment in election administration and security – every year.
Watch the press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD6Ai4Jacys
Read the press release here: https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-deluzio-introduce-bill-to-protect-voters-and-election-workers-at-election-centers/