Meng Introduces Legislation to Modernize Voting and Make Election Day a National Holiday

February 8, 2017
Press Release

Measure would finally bring U.S. voting system into the 21st Century

WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) announced today that she has introduced legislation to modernize and streamline voting in the United States, and make Election Day a national holiday.
The 21st Century Voting Act (H.R. 893) aims to remove barriers that would allow more Americans to cast ballots in local, state and national elections.
"It is way past time that Congress pass meaningful voting reform," said Meng. "It is ridiculous that in this day and age such troublesome hurdles exist that restrict access to the ballot box. My bill would address key priorities to modernizing our voting systems, including establishing automatic and portable voter registration, and making Election Day a national holiday. These commonsense reforms would allow every American the opportunity to participate in our electoral process, which is one of the hallmarks of our democracy. We must finally overhaul our disparate and complicated voting systems."
Meng's bill would create a Commission on Voting tasked with proposing legislation to accomplish the following:
  1. make Election Day a national holiday;
  2. initiate automatic voter registration;
  3. restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated persons;
  4. make voter registration portable;
  5. allow voting information, such as polling place and registration status, to be available online;
  6. strengthen and streamline voting cybersecurity protections;
  7. provide additional federal resources to state and local election boards;
  8. establish a quadrennial review of voting in America.
The Commission would be comprised of 15 members appointed, in equal number, by the President, the Majority Leader of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
H.R. 893 has been referred to the Committee on House Administration and the Committee on Rules. To view the full text of the bill, please click here.