In reaction to the bill’s introduction, Ian Bassin, co-founder and executive director of Protect Democracy, released the following statement:

“The core of our democracy is the right to vote and have that vote count. Those fundamental values remain under attack, with mis- and disinformation about non-existent voter fraud undermining trust in elections and fueling efforts to make it harder to vote. At the same time, states continue to propose or enact bills that would increase the risk of election subversion — meaning that the declared outcome of an election would not reflect the true choice of the voters. Democracy champions must push back to reaffirm and strengthen the health of our voting rights and election processes. The reintroduction of the Freedom to Vote Act marks such an effort. Critical pieces of the Freedom to Vote Act would safeguard and expand access to voting, protect voters and election officials from threats, and combat attempts at election subversion.  

Americans overwhelmingly support measures to secure ballots, combat voter intimidation, and protect election results from partisan interference. We applaud the ongoing commitment to these goals reflected in Freedom to Vote and in all the work being done to buttress the fundamental pillars of our democracy.”