WASHINGTON, D.C.–People For the American Way today welcomed the work done by the House of Representatives on the Securing America’s Federal Elections Act (SAFE Act), which the Committee on House Administration passed last week.
“At a time when Trump and the GOP are neglecting efforts to secure our elections from known threats, the SAFE Act is necessary to defend our democracy,” PFAW Executive Vice President Marge Baker said. “We know from intelligence community reports and Robert Mueller’s investigation that foreign countries have and will continue to assault the integrity of our democratic process. In that context, voter-verified paper ballot systems, grants for states to hire information technology staff, cybersecurity training, and security and risk assessments for election systems are just common sense. This legislation is an important step forward, and we urge its prompt consideration.”
The SAFE Act:
- Provides states with grant funding for paper ballots and security improvements;
- Supports risk-limiting audits;
- Establishes a $5 million grant program to study accessible paper ballot voting;
- Requires accountability for election technology vendors and sets cybersecurity standards;
- Requires voting machines be made in the United States; and
- Bans Internet accessibility or connectivity for devices on which ballots are marked or counted.
The full House must now ensure that a strong SAFE Act is sent to the Senate for consideration.
About PFAW
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.
###