Governor Kate Brown today announced she is leading a coalition of the Governors of California, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Nevada, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Michigan in pledging to uphold the integrity of the general election and to work to ensure that voting is safe, accessible, and secure. The pledge sets forth commitments to ensure confidence in the integrity of the election, in light of unprecedented attacks on voting rights and voting access.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is fundamentally changing the way Americans live and work," said Governor Brown. "Our nation faces an unprecedented challenge to protect the health and lives of millions. But in the face of such a fight, we cannot let our constitutional right to free and fair elections suffer.

"In order to defeat this virus, no aspect of our society will remain untouched, and that means we also need to take steps to ensure people do not have to choose between their health and safety and their right to vote."

The Governors agreed to:

• Carry out the November 3, 2020 general election, as mandated by law.
• Ensure electoral college electors vote as they are pledged, in line with the Supreme Court decision in Chiafalo v. Washington, on July 6, 2020.
• Work with their respective state and local level election officials to ensure that the right to vote is accessible, safe, and secure.
• In coordination with elections officials, communicate with voters about the possibility of delayed results in some states due to increased use of mail-in voting and the status of the count post-election.
• Ensure that any substantive allegations of voter disenfranchisement or elections fraud are quickly and thoroughly investigated.

--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2020-08-19 13:05:35

Last Update: 2020-08-19 13:39:24