{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases/golden-leads-bipartisan-group-in-bold-fight-for-election-reform-integrity", "Golden leads bipartisan group in bold fight for election reform & integrity", "2024-07-26", "2024", "2024-07", "Democrat", "House", "ME", "Jared F. Golden", "G000592", "golden.house.gov", "golden", "https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2014 Today, Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) was joined by Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) to introduce the bipartisan Let America Vote Act of 2024. This critical piece of commonsense legislation addresses two key principles in Rep. Golden\u2019s continued fight for election reform and integrity:\n\nThe right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any taxpayer-funded election for public office shall not be denied or abridged on the grounds of political party affiliation or lack thereof.\n\nRequires States to permit access to unaffiliated voters to vote in primary elections for Federal Office\n\nWithholds Federal Funds if a State does not permit access to unaffiliated voters to vote in primary elections for State and Local Office\n\nProvides additional Federal Funds for States to transition to access to primary elections for unaffiliated voters\n\nProtects the information and independence of unaffiliated voters by restricting the use of their voter data\n\nNo person who is not a citizen shall be permitted or granted the right to vote in any taxpayer-funded election for public office held by or in the United States or any State.\n\nProhibits States from permitting non-citizens to vote in elections for Federal office\n\nWithholds Federal funds if a State permits non-citizens to vote in elections for State and local office\n\n\u201cParticipating in our democracy is a central right of citizens, and voters unaffiliated with any political party deserve to have their voices heard throughout the entire political process,\u201d saidGolden. \u201cThis year, Maine opened our primaries to unenrolled voters for the first time. The Let America Vote Act will bring this victory for democracy to the entire country. Across the world, the awesome and exclusive rights of citizens are intrinsically linked to equally awesome and exclusive responsibilities. You cannot have one without the other. So, this bill also affirms that no matter where you live in our country, the right to vote in the United States is a right reserved for citizens alone.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere is no institution more fundamental to our democracy than our elections, which is why since entering Congress, I have been steadfast in my mission to restore Americans' trust in our electoral process. Today, we take a bold and decisive step forward in advancing this effort with the introduction of my bipartisan Let America Vote Act of 2024. It's simple: every citizen deserves to have their voice heard, and only American citizens should have the right and responsibility to exercise their vote,\u201d said Rep. Fitzpatrick (PA-01). \u201cThis commonsense reform is not political or controversial. It ensures every US citizen, regardless of political affiliation, has the unequivocal right to vote while reinforcing election integrity by strictly prohibiting non-citizens from participating in tax-payer funded elections. I am grateful for the support of my colleagues as they join me in this essential initiative to fight for all American voices and restore faith in our elections, and implore every legislator in America, whether Federal, State, or Local level, to also stand firmly with us.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe right to vote is reserved solely for American citizens,\u201d said Rep. Garbarino (NY-02).\u201cI'm pleased to co-lead this legislation to codify this commonsense principle and safeguard our elections from unconstitutional non-citizen voting.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn Southwest Washington, we value our independence, know that our beliefs don\u2019t always fit neatly into one box, and recognize there\u2019s not a national political party that cares about our community like we do. Good ideas come from both sides of the aisle, so Americans shouldn\u2019t be denied the right to vote for the candidate of their choosing because they aren\u2019t affiliated with a political party,\u201d said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03). \u201cAdditionally, a healthy democracy depends on free, fair, and secure elections. We need to uphold the constitutional ideal that decisions made for our country are made by citizens of our country \u2013 and this bipartisan legislation will protect the integrity of Americans\u2019 choices at the ballot box.\u201d\n\n\"The opportunity to vote is a sacred right of all American citizens. Regrettably, Independent Americans, who by many measures make up more than 40% of the population, are disenfranchised in many state primaries. This is especially true today due to gerrymandering of safe electoral districts by self-interested politicians. This bill ensures these tens of millions of Americans are able to vote in primaries and brings more competition to our elections,\" said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. \"This is great for democracy irrespective of one\u2019s political party. With Honor Action fully endorses it and applauds Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus and former FBI agent, and Rep. Jared Golden, a U.S. Marine veteran and former Co-Chair of the For Country Caucus, for leading this Act. Let\u2019s get it passed.\"\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s indefensible that millions of independent and unaffiliated voters can\u2019t vote in party primaries, often the only elections that really matter. The Let America Vote Act can bring more people into the process, reducing the influence of extremists and forcing candidates to appeal to the commonsense majority,\u201d said Ryan Clancy, No Labels Chief Strategist.\n\n\u201cThe Let America Vote Act would bring the single greatest expansion of voting rights in our country in over a half-century, since the voting age was lowered in 1971. Political independents now comprise 51% of the electorate \u2013\u2013 including a majority of veterans who have defended our freedoms; yet 24 million of these unaffiliated Americans have been denied the right to vote in taxpayer-funded primaries in close to two dozen states this year alone. By opening our primaries nationwide, this Act would end taxation without representation once and for all, and ensure every voter, regardless of party, can fully exercise their right to vote,\u201d said Nick Troiano, Executive Director of Unite America.\n\nRead the full text of the legislation here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:24:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://golden.house.gov/media/press-releases/golden-leads-bipartisan-group-in-bold-fight-for-election-reform-integrity"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7451288402080536, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}