healthcare.gov. Millions of people use the website annually, she said.” For these people to be able to vote, she said, “is integral to the agency’s mission. HHS itself has found that voting is a social determinant of health.” Although HHS initially vowed to integrate voter registration into its site, Williamson said, “that was well over a year ago and it hasn’t happened. It must.” Along similar lines and “critical to the entire executive order,” she said, is the General Services Administration’s vote.gov website. Despite the GSA being specifically singled out in the executive order to modernize and improve the site, which many other agencies use in their voter registration efforts, “unfortunately, it’s just not all that user-friendly, or fully accessible to voters with disabilities and limited English proficiency.” The Justice Department’s Marshal Service, which oversees people in federal pretrial custody, and Bureau of Prisons have both made “modest initial efforts” to ensure that eligible people in their custody have access to registration and voting, Williamson said, “but both agencies have more work to do to meet the mandate. Voting is a right, not a privilege.” Terry Ao Minnis, of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, echoed De Leon’s comments about Indian Health Services, one of three agencies deemed “falling behind.” So is the Department of Education, which, besides not following through on modest commitments made in response to Biden’s order, should add voter registration information to its FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) process, the report suggests. In the 2020-2021 cycle, FAFSA had 18 million student applicants, including 84% of all black students, 74% of Latino students and 68% of Asian American ones – “many of whom are young people not registered to vote,” Minnis noted. And the report estimates that another 60,000 voter registrations could be added annually through the Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Service, which is unique among federal agencies, Minnis pointed out, in its routine interactions with people who by nature of becoming new citizens are both eligible to vote and unregistered. “To close out,” said Adam Lioz, of the Legal Defense Fund, “we need to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act, and we expect the administration’s strong voice in that fight. We appreciate the progress agencies have made and we implore the administration to finish the job on a clear and urgent timeline.” Voting Rights Change the world when you change your mind. Mar. 17-Apr. 2, 2023 DMPlayhouse.com FOR TICKETS:
13 Publizr Home