On Sunday, March 7, President Biden signed an executive order that directs federal agencies to promote voter registration and election information. The order was announced on the 56th anniversary of the march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama. Biden’s goal in enacting the executive order is to ensure that all eligible Americans will be able to participate in democracy and exercise their right to vote. Many Americans face challenges with voting, namely due to racial discrimination, language barriers, accessibility issues, and location. Though there is much work to be done to make our system of voting fully equitable, this executive order is a significant step in the right direction.
The executive order aims to further the intent of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993, which was for federal agencies to provide support for voter registration efforts. Under the new executive order, the head of each federal agency will be required to submit a plan for how their agency will advance voter registration and participation over the next 200 days. The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy will oversee the strategic plans, which may include initiatives such as improving and increasing online information or evaluating identity documents to determine whether they may be reissued to fulfill state voter identification laws. The Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States is responsible for organizing among the federal agencies to ensure that federal websites and digital services will be modernized and improved. Among general technological improvements, accessibility for people with disabilities and those who are not proficient in English are priorities.
Aside from directing federal agencies to expand their assistance in voter registration efforts, the executive order also seeks to improve and modernize Vote.gov, increase federal employees’ access to voting, analyze barriers to voting for people with disabilities, increase voting access for active-duty military and other overseas voters, provide voting access and education to citizens in federal custody, and establish a Native American voting rights steering group. While Congress and state legislatures have the majority of control over voting access laws, this executive order from the president is still impactful in the greater cause of expanding voting rights.
Prior to Biden’s announcement of the executive order, the US House of Representatives passed the For the People Act (H.R. 1) which aims to increase voter protections and expand voting rights. Republicans are planning to stop the bill in the Senate, so Biden may not get the chance to sign the bill into law. The recent executive order is a strong move by President Biden in advancing voting rights through federal resources, especially because it can be so difficult to pass legislation regarding an issue that has become so polarizing. Since H.R. 1 is unlikely to win enough Senate support to reach the president, this executive order ensures that there exists an effort to support voting rights at the national level.