Dem proposes bill requiring early voting in all states
Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) said Thursday that he would soon propose legislation that would require early voting in all states, a change he said would help reduce the long lines many reported on Election Day this year.
"The right to vote is among our nation's most sacred rights — surely we can do a better job of ensuring that voters do not have to choose between meeting their daily responsibilities to their families or employers and exercising this solemn responsibility," Miller said.
"Americans shouldn't have to wait for hours and hours to cast a ballot — and the fact that they had to do so in the 2012 election is absolutely unacceptable."
Miller's bill, the Streamlining and Improving Methods at Polling Locations and Early (SIMPLE) Voting Act, would require all states to allow for early voting for a minimum of 15 days before Election Day. He said 15 states currently have no early voting system in place, and that other states have varying periods in which early voting is allowed.
His bill would also require all states to ensure there are enough poll workers and voting machines in place to make sure no one waits more than one hour to vote.
Several civil rights organizations have proposed increased early voting, including the ACLU. Many Republicans observed near the end of the election that early voters seemed to favor Democratic candidates.