On June 3, 2020, Michelle Bishop, NDRN’s Disability Voting Rights Specialist, testified virtually during a House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties hearing entitled “Protecting the Right to Vote During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
Below is a video edit with just Bishop’s testimony and responses to committee member questions. A recording of the entire length of the virtual hearing is also available.
Bishop spoke about the rights of voters with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, improving access to vote by mail, the necessity of in-person voting, and the roles of Congress and the Federal Government.
“Congress and the US Department of Justice play a critical role in ensuring that elections are fair, accurate, safe, and accessible. The delicate patchwork of federal laws that protect the rights of voters with disabilities must be protected, restored, and enforced to their full capacity. We call them Americans with disabilities because they are, first and foremost, Americans. And their civil rights, as well as the health of our voters and the health of our democracy, depend on it,” said Bishop.
Fellow esteemed witnesses testified about the needs to protect the right to vote during the COVID-19 pandemic and what measures are necessary to meet the unique challenges COVID-19 brings to administrating America’s elections, including large-scale expansion of voting by mail, as well as the impact the health crisis and other voter suppression efforts have had on minority and historically disenfranchised communities.
The full list of witnesses and their written testimony is available on the Committee on the Judiciary’s website.
