Dēmos Lauds HHS, GSA Promotion of Voter Registration Options for Voters

Yesterday, on National Voter Registration Day, the Biden Administration announced meaningful and specific steps that agencies have taken to promote voter registration options. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will ensure that HealthCare.gov online applications now include an optional question for users to request information about registering to vote. Those who express interest in response to this question will receive a link to the vote.gov website. The Government Services Administration (GSA) also recently revamped vote.gov to include new accessibility features, and the site is now available in 19 languages to support more limited English proficiency speakers. In partnership with the United States Postal Service, GSA will display vote.gov posters in approximately 17,000 Post Offices across the country to ensure more eligible voters are aware of their registration options. In response to this announcement, Ashley Tjhung, Senior Policy Analyst at Dēmos, released the following statement: 

All voters should have ample opportunities to make their voice heard, regardless of their ideology, race, or zip code. 

“All voters should have ample opportunities to make their voices heard, regardless of their ideology, race, or zip code. Incorporating a voter registration opportunity into the Healthcare.gov application process will provide millions of Americans meaningful access to voter registration services, in particular the many Black and brown and low-to-moderate income users who already face increased barriers to voting. In addition, the new vote.gov website will increase voter registration access for the many voters with disabilities or with limited English proficiency. Taking steps to increase equitable access to voter registration goes a long way in building a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy. We commend the administration for its ongoing efforts to remove barriers to participation so that all voters can shape our democracy.” 

Dēmos continues to support the efforts of the Biden-Harris Administration to make voting more accessible, such as President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Access to Voting. These steps support our continuing commitment to ensuring all voters, regardless of race, background, or income level, have a voice in our democracy.

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Dēmos is a non-profit public policy organization working to build a just, inclusive, multiracial democracy and economy. We work hand in hand to build power with and for Black and brown communities, forging strategic alliances with grassroots and state-based organizations.