In this series of blog posts, Senator Coons’ legislative staff shares their analysis of the President’s State of the Union address with Delawareans.
In last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama zeroed in on the importance of protecting “our most fundamental right as citizens: the right to vote.” He said that “when any Americans – no matter where they live or what their party – are denied that right simply because they can’t wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals.”
That is why just after the election, Senator Coons introduced the FAST Voting Act to help states improve their elections and make voting faster and more accessible to all voters. Chris’ bill would create a competitive grant program to encourage states to aggressively pursue election reform, with the states that demonstrate the most comprehensive and promising reform plans earning a greater portion of the grant funding.
President Obama shared the story of 102-year-old Desiline Victor, a Floridian who waited for hours to cast her ballot on Election Day. The crowd patiently waiting at the polling pace cheered when she finally received her “I Voted” sticker.
Chris believes that voters like Desiline should not have to wait hours to exercise their fundamental right to vote for the candidate of their choice.
Last night, President Obama announced he is creating a non-partisan commission to improve our elections process, led by one Republican and one Democrat who are experts in the field. Chris supports this non-partisan approach, and is hopeful the commission will build on the work of election commissioners from around the country, both Republicans and Democrats, who want to do better for their constituents.