“My home state of Oregon has led the nation in making voting more accessible," said Wyden. "No one has to take time off work just to exercise his or her constitutional rights,”
OPB
Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden has launched a new campaign to expand Oregon-style vote-by-mail nationwide.
He said this year 17 states added new voting restrictions, 126,000 New York voters were purged from rolls and Rhode Island cut its polling stations by two-thirds, "There's no excuse for citizens in Arizona to wait five hours to cast their ballot," he said.
"There’s no excuse whatsoever for poor communities and minority communities across this country to see their polling places shuttered," said Wyden.
Under Wyden’s plan, registered voters would receive ballots in the mail weeks before the election, giving them time to research candidates and vote.
Experts say vote-by-mail tends to increase voter turn-out during smaller elections. But the evidence isn't as apparent for larger elections, like presidential races.
Washington, Colorado, Arizona, California, Montana and Hawaii have all embraced vote-by-mail since Oregon pioneered the idea in 2000.
