Oregon Sen. Wyden and Rep. Blumenauer Introduce Vote at Home Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, March 8, two Oregon Democrats, Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, introduced S. 700 and H.R. 1439, the Vote at Home Act. The bill would implement automatic voter registration and ensure that all Americans have the ability to vote by mail. Wyden and Blumenauer previously introduced similar legislation in 2021, although the bill did not advance in either chamber.
If enacted, the legislation would:
- Provide all registered voters with a mail-in ballot two weeks before Election Day at the latest,
- Allow voters to return their ballots in the mail or at a secure drop-off site,
- Fund the U.S. Postal Service to cover costs associated with mailing ballots and
- Enact automatic voter registration through state departments of motor vehicles unless individuals opt-out within 21 days.
The Vote at Home Act would be a major step to make voting easier for all Americans and has been endorsed by a variety of voting rights groups. However, given continued Republican attacks on mail-in voting, it’s unlikely that the bill would achieve the bipartisan support necessary to pass a divided Congress.
Read the Vote at Home Act here.