About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 Myrna Perez, Testimony of Myrna Perez, Director, Voting Rights & Elections Program, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, Hearing on Protecting the Right to Vote during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives 1 (2020)

handle is hein.brennan/bcjmyrn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Testimony of Myrna P6rez Director, Voting Rights & Elections Program Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law1 Hearing on Protecting the Right to Vote During the COVID-19 Pandemic The Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives June 3, 2020 Thank you Chairman Nadler, Ranking Member Jordan, and members of the Committee for the opportunity to submit this testimony describing the steps that this country must take to protect our fundamental right to vote in the throes of a global pandemic. While not the subject of this hearing, I would note that many of these recommendations would also alleviate some of the stresses on election administration during a time of civil unrest - like what we are facing at the moment. The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law supports this Committee's efforts to ensure that our elections are not only free, fair, and secure, but also accessible during the COVID-19 crisis. In this written testimony, I outline the features that each state should have to ensure that no voter is left behind. I also provide in the appendix to this testimony a voluminous amount of resources on the topic. But the single most important thing this Committee can do to ensure that our elections run smoothly in November is for each member of this Committee to play her or his part in getting election administrators at the state and local level additional financial resources. While Congress has provided $400 million to help states and localities make these changes, this is a mere fraction of what is needed. We urge Congress to provide additional support immediately. Election administrators need those resources now. Please see Appendix A for additional related information. I. The Stresses COVID is Placing on Our Election Requires Ameliorative Action More than 100,000 people across the country have died from COVID-19. Public health experts repeatedly urge physical distancing practicing and habits if we are to minimize transmission. There are certain steps states and localities must take if we want to ensure that no voter is left behind. Please see Appendix B for additional related information. ' The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a nonpartisan public policy and law institute that works to reform, revitalize, and defend our country's system of democracy and justice. I am the Director of the Brennan Center's Voting Rights and Elections Program. I have litigated voting rights cases across the country, and authored several nationally recognized reports and articles, including Purges: A Growing Threat to the Right to Vote (July 2018), Noncitizen Voting: The Missing Millions (May 2017), and Election Day Long Lines: Resource Allocation (Sept. 2014). My work has been featured in media outlets across the country, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, and others. I have testified previously before Congress, as well as several state legislatures, on a variety of voting rights related issues. I teach election law at Columbia Law School and I have also served as an Adjunct Professor of Clinical Law at NYU School of Law. My testimony does not purport to convey the views, if any, of the New York University School of Law.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most