Zoe Lofgren: “My Republican colleagues are the authors of all of the amendments included in this en bloc, and I think these amendments…”

“My Republican colleagues are the authors of all of the amendments included in this en bloc, and I think these amendments represent a number of thoughtful amendments that will improve the bill. Included is an amendment that exempts any State that does not utilize voter registration on the enactment date of this act and continuously thereafter from complying with voter registration requirements in the act. This is reasonable, as North Dakota does not have voter registration. As the State does not require voter registration, it is reasonable not to force them to begin doing so now. There is also an amendment in this en bloc that requires a report to Congress on the impact of widespread mail-in voting on the suffrage of Active Duty military servicemembers, how quickly their votes are counted and whether the high volumes of mail-in votes makes it harder for those individuals to vote. Republicans and Democrats alike, can agree that insights into how to better secure our election infrastructure are needed to protect our democracy. Included in this en bloc is an amendment to require a report to Congress on the data collection practices; the required necessary security resources; and the impact of a potential data breach of local, State, or Federal online voter registration systems. Additionally, there is an amendment directing the Election Assistance Commission to study the use of blockchain technology to enhance election security.…”