Overseas American voters should learn about a massive bill, called HR 1, the For the People Act of 2021 (called S. 1 in the Senate), to improve and secure US elections, and urge their Representatives and Senators to pass it. See especially the section devoted to overseas military and civilian voters (Title I, Subtitle J). Act now: the House of Representatives may vote on the bill as early as the first week of March.
As always, a telephone call has the greatest impact. Call both the Washington, DC, and local offices; it may be easier to get through to the latter.
To find and contact your US Senator:
- Visit the Senate website.
- Conduct a search using the Find Your Senators pull-down menu in the upper corner (select your state and click Go).
- On the results page is a link to the Senators’ website, contact information, and links to an online contact form (forms vary by Senator).
To find and contact your US Representative:
- Visit the House of Representatives website.
- Conduct a search using the Find Your Representative zip code search box in the upper right corner (enter your zip code and click Go).
- On the results page is a photo of your Representative(s), links to the Representative’s personal website and online contact form, and a local map.
If your zip code overlaps with multiple congressional districts, the results page will include boxes for you to enter your zip code+4 or mailing address to find the correct Representative.
Source: Contact Your US Senators and Representatives, American Library Association, April 21, 2014 (accessed February 23, 2021).
What the For the People Act of 2021 would do
In addition to grappling with COVID-19 and relief for Americans suffering from its effects, Congress will tackle a very large bill – H.R.1, the For the People Act of 2021 (the bill will be called S. 1 in the Senate), to improve US elections – including for overseas military and citizen voters – in the first week of March.
Ironically, the COVID-19 pandemic led to improvements in registration and voting, which resulted in a historically large turnout in the most secure election in US history, according to US government officials. Perhaps as a result of misinformation about the election, which is unfortunately still circulating in the United States, 33 states have introduced, prefiled, or carried over 165 bills to restrict access to voting in 2021, compared to 35 such bills in 15 states as of February 3, 2020, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
Across 10 titles (headings), the For the People Act of 2021 would:
- make it easier to vote in federal elections
- end congressional gerrymandering
- overhaul federal campaign finance laws
- increase safeguards against foreign interference
- strengthen government ethics rules, and much more.
Most of these reforms would be implemented for the November 2022 general election, with the exception of some redistricting and public financing changes that would go into effect later.
The Brennan Center for Justice published an explainer that provides details about each title and subtitle of this massive bill, as well as information about related legislation and Brennan Center research on the issues that the bill seeks to address.
Section on overseas voters
Under Title I (Election Access) of the bill, Subtitle J focuses on Absent Uniformed Services Voters and Overseas Voters. This subtitle aims to protect their voting rights by, in particular:
- ensuring they receive their ballots earlier: requiring all states to transmit absentee ballots to absent uniformed service voters and overseas voters at least 45 days before a federal election (provided a request was received at least 45 days before the election);
- requiring states to submit pre- and post-election reports to Congress documenting the availability of absentee balloting for service members and overseas voters, how many ballots were transmitted, and how many were returned.
Late arrival is the main reason that overseas ballots are rejected, and collecting data on overseas voting would help to identify both problems and solutions.
What FAWCO members can do
FAWCO members can publicize the For the People Act among Americans within and beyond their Clubs, and urge them to learn about it and support its passage by Congress. Follow the instructions above to contact your representatives in Congress.
While you’re at it, remember to register to vote in 2021 – a number of special federal elections and regular state and local elections are on the way. Click here to find out more.