U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff says he is working to protect election workers from violence and harassment.
This week, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act, which would broaden protections for the election workers and volunteers who help administer America’s elections. The bill would also prohibit damage to election infrastructure, such as polling places and tabulation centers, with the intent to interfere with an election.
Sen. Ossoff spoke about the importance of his legislation in a U.S. Senate Rules Committee hearing Wednesday.
“I’m introducing this week the Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act. It would create criminal penalties for threats of violence to intimidate voters or election officials,” Sen. Ossoff said in the Rules Committee hearing.
In the hearing, Sen. Ossoff also spoke with state and local election officials about the impact of threats to election workers on elections and voter turnout.
Sen. Ossoff is also working on other voting-related measures.
This week, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Right to Vote Act to enshrine into law American citizens’ fundamental right to vote. The bill would establish a statutory right to vote in Federal elections and allow Americans to enforce that right by challenging in court any policy that unduly restricts ballot access.
Ossoff also joined Senators Warnock, Durbin, Schumer, and colleagues in reintroducing the John R. Lewis Voting Advancement Act, legislation that would “update and restore safeguards of the original Voting Rights Act of 1965 that have been eroded in recent years by federal court rulings.”
Last month, Sen. Ossoff and a group of Senators launched an inquiry with the General Services Administration (GSA), requesting updates on the modernization of Vote.gov, as outlined in President Biden’s Executive Order in 2021.
Last month, Sen. Ossoff also joined Sen. Klobuchar and colleagues in pushing for funding in the FY25 budget to help state and local governments with the administration and security of federal elections, including to maintain and improve election infrastructure, keep pace with emerging technology such as artificial intelligence, and enhance cybersecurity to combat new threats.
In January, Sens. Ossoff and Mark Kelly introduced the Ban Corporate PACs Act, which would ban for-profit corporations from influencing political campaigns and Federal elections.
Click here to read the Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act.
