{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-unanimously-passes-padilla-mcconnell-resolution-recognizing-national-voter-registration-day/", "Senate Unanimously Passes Padilla, McConnell Resolution Recognizing National Voter Registration Day", "2025-09-16", "2025", "2025-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "CA", "Alex Padilla", "P000145", "www.padilla.senate.gov", "padilla", "https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight over elections and California\u2019s former Secretary of State, announced that the Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 388, his bipartisan resolution with Rules Committee Chairman Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) recognizing National Voter Registration Day. The resolution encourages eligible Americans to register to vote, verify with the appropriate state or local election official that their personal information is current, and cast their ballot.\n\n\u201cAmid relentless attacks from this Administration on our democracy and the right to vote, the best way American citizens can make their voices heard is by registering to vote online, by mail, or in person,\u201d said Senator Padilla. \u201cAs California\u2019s former Secretary of State, I oversaw record voter registration and participation, and I will keep working to help all citizens participate in our democracy. I encourage all eligible Americans to visit vote.gov to confirm you\u2019re registered to vote with the correct information and learn how to cast your ballot.\u201d\n\nNational Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan event celebrated by election officials across the country on a Tuesday in September. The day is endorsed by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and the National Association of Election Officials (Election Center).\n\nNational Voter Registration Day began in 2012 with 2,000 civic organizations helping launch the civic holiday to encourage people to register to vote.\n\nSenator Padilla has led the charge opposing President Trump and Republicans\u2019 reckless attempts to restrict the right to vote. In May, Padilla stopped Senator Mike Lee\u2019s (R-Utah) attempt to pass the anti-voter SAVE Act through the Senate by unanimous consent. Earlier this year, he convened a Rules Committee Democrats spotlight forum focused on Congressional Republicans\u2019 SAVE Act and Trump\u2019s illegal anti-voter executive order. As President Trump marked 100 disastrous days in office, Padilla led his Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor to speak out against the SAVE Act and the Trump Administration\u2019s attacks on election integrity. In April, he warned Secretaries of State, Lieutenant Governors, and Chief Election Officials across the country of the devastating potential impacts of the SAVE Act, concerns that have been echoed by top election officials across the country. Padilla also led a letter sounding the alarm on the devastating impacts on voting rights in Native American communities of the SAVE Act and Trump\u2019s executive order.\n\nAdditionally, Padilla led 11 Senators in introducing the Defending America\u2019s Future Elections Act to repeal Trump\u2019s illegal anti-voter executive order and prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive voter registration data and state records. Padilla previously led 14 Democratic Senators in calling on Trump to revoke his illegal anti-voter executive order and issued a statement slamming the order when it was announced. In July, Padilla convened a Rules and Judiciary Committee Democrats spotlight forum focused on racial gerrymandering and voter suppression, in which he reiterated concerns that the Department of Homeland Security\u2019s insufficiently tested Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program could purge eligible citizens from state voter rolls.\n\nBefore coming to the Senate, Padilla established automatic and same-day voter registration, upgraded California\u2019s voting systems to meet higher security standards, and expanded mail-in and in-person early voting as the chief elections officer for the most populous state in the nation.\n\nFull text of the resolution is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "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://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senate-unanimously-passes-padilla-mcconnell-resolution-recognizing-national-voter-registration-day/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6446992047131062, "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"}