Today, the Council of the District of Columbia unanimously passed the Elections Modernization Amendment Act, which makes permanent several changes implemented in 2020 because of COVID, including: providing all DC registered voters with a postage-prepaid mail in ballot; making permanent the Vote Centers, where any registered DC voter can vote in-person; and making permanent the accessible ballot drop boxes. It also builds on the promise of guaranteeing all citizens in DC the right to vote.

“We appreciate Chairman Allen’s leadership on this bill, and all the time and effort the entire Council has spent making sure this would be a strong, pro-voter package,” said Sylvia Albert, Director of Voting and Elections for Common Cause. “So many state legislatures went in the opposite direction this year and created barriers to voting. By passing this bill today, the District Council is speaking strongly, with one voice – uplifting our government ‘by the people’ and making sure all DC voters can exercise our freedom to vote.”

The Voting Rights Lab has tracked election law changes since 2020, “documenting a stark divide between the states taking steps to make voting more accessible by increasing access to these voting methods, and the states making it more difficult.”