Schumer: Mail-In Voting a 'Very Important Part' of Next Coronavirus Relief Bill
Democratic Senate minority leader pushes vote-by-mail for next stimulus package
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Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has stated that the Democrats' plan to push mail-in voting for the next election "will be a very important part" of the next coronavirus relief bill.
Sen. Schumer made th remarks during a Friday’s interview on MSNBC’s “All In.”
Schumer told host Chris Hayes that a scheme for vote-by-mail provisions “will be a very important part of the legislation that we’re going to put forward.
"We are going to fight like the devil for it,” Schumer declared.
“[T]he last CARES Act…the big one, it had money for mail-in voting, but there’s no sort of federal requirement that states prepare themselves," Hayes said to Schumer.
"It’s a very spotty system," Hayes added.
"Is that a must-have for Democrats? Is that something that is a kind of like a bright line for Democrats as a priority, to make sure we can have a safe and healthy election?” Hayes asked.
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"It is really important," Schumer responded.
"I don’t underestimate the desire of Republicans to use the COVID crisis to prevent people from voting, particularly poor people, people of color.
"They’ve done that all along," the Democrat leader continued.
"Here’s a good one, in Alabama, if you want to vote by absentee ballot, you have to have a notary public sign that you did it. …
"It’s aimed at stopping people of color and poor people from voting.
"We feel extremely strongly that everyone should be able to vote, that the COVID crisis should not stand in the way of what is the hallmark, the wellspring of America, which is free, fair, and open elections, and that will be a very important part of the legislation that we’re going to put forward, and we are going to fight like the devil for it.”
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As Neon Nettle reported earlier this week, Schumer and Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are set to soon reveal their multi-trillion-dollar coronavirus relief package.
Pelosi and Schumer reportedly spent their extended recess working on a “Rooseveltian” fourth coronavirus relief package that's expected to be packed with a "wish list" of unrelated, far-left policy demands.
The Democratic Party leaders are set to unveil the package early as next week, signaling the start of a major battle between Republicans and Democrats over the latest massive government spending bill amid the global pandemic.
Speaker Pelosi called on Democratic leadership to submit their “wish lists” to her office earlier this week.
She told House committee leaders and other key lawmakers to “think big” on relief projects to cram into the stimulus bill.
As a result, Schumer and Pelosi have compiled the “most far-reaching effort yet to address the economic fallout of the pandemic.”
