Good afternoon, the meeting will come to order. Without objection, declaring a recess of the committee, i recognize myself for an Opening Statement. This morning, we heard the president in his own words recorded in february slam the coronavirus has, quote, deadly stuff. Yet we also heard remarks, i wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because i dont want to create a panic, end of quote. The Trump Administration did play down the pandemic refusing to level with the American People about the known danger and refusing to develop and implement a National Plan to stop the spread. As a result, 190,000 americans have died, continuing to kill hundreds, tens of thousands every day. Over the last eight weeks, americans will be changing their votes in the midst of this ongoing crisis. A free, fair and safe election under these circumstances is a challenge. Let there be no doubt we do our part, america is up to the challenge. In june the centers for Disease Control and prevention issued guidance to keep people healthy while casting their votes. The fundamental principle that this guidance is, quote, reducing the number of voters who congregate indoors, in polling locations at the same time. And three key elements. First, cdc calls for alternatives to in person voting and includes voting by mail and drop boxes to select ballots. Second cdc calls again for increasing the number of polling locations available for early boarding and extending the hours of operation. Third, cdc recommends Election Administrators maintain or increase the number of polling places available to the public on election day. Of these simple steps are achievable everywhere in america and i am pleased both democrats and republicans make progress and implementing them. Unfortunately, not every jurisdiction in the cdcs guidance. Consequences of this refusal are predictable. We saw what happened, the number of polling places, did not have alternatives to in person voting. In georgia, voters sent 5 hours to cast their ballots. In texas, about 7 hours long. Wisconsins largest city, 97 of polling places were closed, leading to long lines of the citys voters. In florida, 112 across the state were closed, moved or consolidated. These actions left many voters, especially women of color unable to exercise their right to vote. We cannot allow the pandemic to be used as a cover to continue or exacerbate, the ugly history of Voter Suppression. In august, select subcommittee launched an investigation to determine the states, primary voters facing significant voters to cast their ballots made necessary improvements for the election. We are issuing a staff report with some troubling findings that must be erected. I ask unanimous consent that this report be entered into the record and without objections so ordered. In texas, local Election Officials, waiting in lines for election day and reported that not having enough poll workers is their primary concern about their upcoming election. Given texass refusal to expand absentee voting it is crucial that texas take steps now to recruit poll workers rather than resorting to close polling places and reducing powers. Georgia is making the puzzling choice not to mail out absentee ballot applications to all voters with the general election, successfully doing so for the primary. The secretary of state claims applications to all voters lead to longer lines at the polls, but the reality is just the opposite. Every vote who casts an absentee ballot is a voter who will not be in line at the polls. Every state to follow cdc guidelines so all voters can cast their vote safely. The federal government has a crucial role to play. The heroes act, four months ago in close 3. 6 billion for state and local governments for equipment and staff to safely administer the election. They are located funds without further delay. The delivery for america act the house passed last month requires election mail be treated as firstclass, restores mail service to previous levels and provides 25 billion has unanimously requested by the bipartisan Postal Service board of governors. Unfortunately, rather than play a constructive role and prepare for the election sowing discord, fear and donald trump is claiming it will lead to fraud, the evidence Shows Americans likely to get struck by lightning more than to commit voter fraud by mail. There is good reason the president has been unable to provide evidence to support his plan. There is none. Mail in voting is safe and secure. Benjamin ginsburg, a leading republican lawyer agrees, in oped in todays washington post, republicans dont have the evidence to call elections he writes the truth is after decades of illegal voting, there is no proof of widespread fraud, at most there are isolated incidents by democrats and republicans. Elections are not rigged. Absentee ballots use the same process as mail in ballots. Different states use different labels from the same process, end of his quote. Even while warning against fraud, the president is calling on his supporters to vote twice saying i quote here, send it in early and then go out and vote, end of quote. I hope all my colleagues today will join me and Justice Ginsburg in rejecting that advice and urging americans to follow the law and those only ones. Supporting a free, fair and safe election should not be a partisan issue. I am hopeful that we can use the hearings to agree on Common Sense Solutions to protect americanss health and their sacred right to vote. I will now yield to my friend, Ranking Member for his opening remarks. Thank you, mister chairman. Appreciate you for having witnesses here. I start by sending my prayers to the people of southwest louisiana including lake charles who recover from the devastation of hurricane laura. I personally witnessed this, met with local officials along with donald trump two weeks ago. They have a long way to go. A lot of devastation. Everybody is standing with them and we continue to stand with those resilient people in southwest louisiana to help him as they rebuild their homes and their communities. Lets talk about todays hearing. Every american who is legally eligible to vote will have that opportunity on november 3rd and encouraged to exercise their right to vote as well. Each state runs their elections, as we know, and it is our duty to ensure that our elections are run fairly, freely and safely. One of the ways we must protect every americans right to vote is to ensure the integrity of their vote and make sure that integrity is preserved by ruling out voter fraud which is welldocumented. We must make sure every american who wants to safely vote in person will have that right. I urge all members on a bipartisan basis to convey that message to the American People. 2020 elections will be conducted safely and fairly and urge all those who are eligible to participate. 7 months into the pandemic, the American People, remind us what it means to be an american, hold Constitutional Rights sacred. The pandemic will not stand in the way of americans exercising our First Amendment rights. Americans have the right to peacefully assimilate peacefully protest. Americans must have the ability to exercise our religious freedom and the right to worship as we believe. As with previous pandemics like the spanish blue or military wars or periods of unrest america will go to the polls in november. I spent a good part of august traveling the country talking to voters, and libertarians, americans are ready and motivated to vote. The elections will be held safely and fairly. Instead of urging, losing candidates to refuse to concede which unfortunately we have heard recently as some are suggesting or trying to change laws in ways that would drag out the results for weeks and weeks, we need to ensure state laws that have been debated and honed over years are respected and allowed to be implemented fairly and efficiently. What people do not want to hear is one Political Party tempting to take advantage of a pandemic to try to ram through a partisan election scheme that has nothing to do with this coronavirus. Lets listen to the experts and lets follow the science. The unanimous opinion of Top Public Health experts is in person voting can be done safely. On august 13th when asked if people could go safely to vote in person during this pandemic, doctor fauci said of carefully done according to the guidelines there is no reason why that would not be the case. There is no reason we shouldnt be able to vote in person or otherwise. On august 20th the centers for Disease Control and prevention director doctor Robert Redfield announced cdc put out guidance on how to safely vote in person. Doctor redfield stated and i quote i think people can be able to social distance and wear masks and with the recommendations we have for hygiene, we dont see that there is going to be a negative impact on your ability to vote from a Public Health perspective. I know i am going to vote facetoface. In an interview on august 20 second doctor debra birx said it has been safe for me to go to starbucks and pick up my order so if you can going to starbucks in the middle of texas and alabama and mississippi that have very high case rates than i cant say it would be different waiting in line at the polls. A recent report from the Brennan Center for justice advises, quote, in person voting can be conducted safely if jurisdictions take the necessary steps to demise the risk of transmission of covid19 to election workers and voters. All my colleagues will take the opportunity to highlight cdc guidance for safe in person voting. They put out really good guidelines showing you how to safely do this just like safely going to school, you can educate people in person, some choosing to do it and some denying kids that opportunity and we talked about that in this committee, mister chairman. Just on the same level i would urge we follow the guidelines for safely voting in person. There are options for people to vote. You can request a mail in ballot, vote early in many states, they have those opportunities or you can vote in person as many want to do. We ought to be promoting those guidelines. Look at the example cdc put out in these guidelines right here. In sure that poll locations are adequately staff to cover sick workers, provide Hand Sanitizer for use at each step in the voting process. Encourage voters use masks at polling locations. Here is mine, you will appreciate the colors, mister chairman that i will send you an extra if you want, i know youve got one of your own. Post signs in highly visible locations that promote everyday protective measures. Remind voters on arrival to put space between themselves and others, have plans to ensure social distancing. These are things in those guidelines and more if we follow you can safely vote in person. All my colleagues remind voters since the beginning of march when donald trump declared a National Emergency due to the pandemic, 37 states plus the district of colombia have successfully held statewide primaries for president order and state offices. Into different elections we have had in last few months in the state of louisiana. I did it in person. It was a safe experience. I brought my son with me as i normally do. We ring our children with the so they can see this great democratic process and there was never a worry. I wore my mask, so did the poll workers, it was a very smooth process. I would encourage people to do that. Wisconsin held a very successful election at the height of the pandemic on april 7. A peerreviewed study published published in the august issue of the american journal of Public Health concluded that in person voting in wisconsins election by more than 400,000 electors did not produce a detectable search in coronavirus cases. We should all be following that science. We establish procedures for absentee voting. Early voting and in some states voting by mail. America is ready to go vote. Many states vote by absentee ballot or thel request mail ballots because procedures been in place for each state that doesnt fit all handle it a little differently but those systems have been worked through years so they know how to do it properly, safely, efficiently. We should inspire confidence in thosesp procedures. There is simply no pandemic related reason to change the way we vote in 2020. Given the the topic of todays hearing entering a free, fair and safe election during the corona pandemic we could stop right there. We know how to do it. States are doing it. We should helpc them do it. But ourt democrat colleagues dd not want too join with us today and send a bipartisan message. They want toss go back to advancing a bill h. R. One, this is something democrats have been promoting since last year long before this pandemic that does all kinds of things to mandate that states change the way most of them do business. Requiring think that most states dont want to do havent done because the actually make elections less safe. They reduce the integrity of elections. Lets talk about it. They want tote mandate ballots,e mailed to all registered voters during this emergency. That as i outlined is dangerous point a review by Judicial Watch in early 2020 found 378 different counties nationwide have more registered voters than voting age citizens. 378 counties. Thats millions of ballots that would be out there illegally. Who knows what would happen to them . But thats a staggering number, 378 counties nationwide have morent registered voters on ther role than voting age citizens. People say theres no opportunity for voter fraud. More than 20 million mail in ballots went missing, went missing in the last four elections according to Data Collected from the election assistance commission, the federal commission that identifies more than 28 million ballots that justes gone missin. Who knows what the end of it in the end about box, afterthought of the statesd where weeks and weeks after the election there was still counting votes. Some of the jews get mysteriously showing up untilslt changed the outcome of an election. Do we really want to go to that level where there are billions of ballots come in this case 28 million mail in ballots that literally went missing . Those are staggering numbers we should all be concerned about as we want to promote fair free and safe elections. Thats what. We should be focusd on. We dont want a recipe for disaster where we literally would be counting ballots weeks and weeks later they would be showing up from who knows where as we saw in states. In state. We saw in florida, california, new jersey people are going to go to jail for voter fraud. Theres all kind of cases that are cited. In they end why do we put a fos on helping those dates conduct fair efficient free and safe elections for all americans who are legally eligible to vote. I yield back. O i think the recommended for yielded back, and nowg i would like like to introduce our witnesses. Washington. Levels,vism spans many serving as a cochair of the Nonprofit Organization, when we all vote and producing the document he inside look legal battles for civil rights to work at the ground level. To encourage voters to cast their ballot. Havee also honored to kristin clark, president and director of a committee for civil rights under the law. We are also grateful to be by the president of the texas civil rights project. By a thejoined assistant professor of medicine at the medical university of South Carolina. The Global Health committee of the Infectious Disease society of america. She was one of the primary forors of the guidelines healthy, in person voting. Havei understand you recently joined the faculty at the university of South Carolina, so im pleased to welcome you to charleston and the sixth congressional district. Finally, im pleased to introduce the missouri secretary of state, js croft. Welcome, secretary. Unmutedsses will be so we can swear the men. Fascists swear them in. Please raise your right hands. Stopear them in please swear that what you are to is the truth, the whole truth. Showhem let the record the witnesses answered in the affirmative. Without objection, your written statements will be made part of the record. Thank you. We will now turn to ms. Washington. You are now recognized. You,ashington thank chairman clyburn, Ranking Member scullys command members of the select subcommittee. Im grateful for you taking the time to hear my testimony and the testimony of my fellow witnesses. Im here not as an artist or entertainer, but as an american and an advocate who believes deeply in the power of voting. That is the reason i became the cochair of when we all vote, a nonpartisan, Nonprofit Organization dedicated to increasing participation in every election and its why im here today. When i turned 18, my mother and father took me out to dinner in the bronx, where i grew up, not just to celebrate my birthday, but to celebrate the fact i was old enough to vote. My parents never took their vote for granted. They believe it is a sacred obligation and it is. Not too long ago, an 18yearold black woman would not have been able to vote for many reasons. As you know, the legal age of voting used to be 21 years old, so you could get shipped off to war without having any say in who your commanderinchief is. As you know, women were denied the vote. We only just celebrated our 100th anniversary of women earning that right. And of course, it used to be that black people in this country could not vote. When our constitution was written, are fending fathers designated black americans to be worth 3 5 the value of a human being. As an 18yearold black woman, i voted and i will proudly vote this november because we all share the right and responsibility to vote in order to