A specialist in Election Law invites Mitch McConnell to attend classes at his alma mater to LEARN...

What's Mitch McConnell so afraid of?


https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/31/opinions/mitch-mcconnell-wrong-about-democrat-voting-bill-douglas/

By Joshua A. Douglas

Updated 7:56 AM ET, Fri February 1, 2019



Editors note" "Joshua A. Douglas is a professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law who specializes in election law, voting rights, and constitutional law. He is the author of the forthcoming book, "Vote for US: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting." Follow him @JoshuaADouglas. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own; view more opinion at CNN."

(CNN) Dear Sen. Mitch McConnell,



As a professor of election law and voting rights at the University of Kentucky College of Law -- your state's flagship institution and your alma mater -- I invite you to come sit in on my election law class. Given your recent commentary on the subject, it might teach you a lot.


For instance, you can learn about the true merits of H.R. 1, the For the People Act, a proposed law that Democrats in Congress have introduced to completely revamp our elections. Yes, it would include a provision to make Election Day a federal holiday as part of a suite of reforms to improve voter turnout.

You mocked the holiday idea on the Senate floor this week (and in your recent Washington Post op-ed) while ignoring the comprehensive nature of the election reform package. You claim it's all part of a Democratic "power grab." Senator, are you really afraid of more eligible people going to the polls?

The law includes many reforms -- like automatic voter registration, felon re-enfranchisement, improved election security, and methods to make voting more convenient -- that all amount to one thing: modernizing our election system for everyone.
What's more, the law would enact numerous ideas that are already working in various states and localities throughout the country. It is aimed at bringing more eligible voters into our political process. In fact, several Republican-controlled states have enacted some of these reforms.

Take automatic voter registration, which is sweeping the nation. The idea is built on a simple premise: When the government already has information about voters, such as through the Department of Motor Vehicles office, it should simply add that information to the voter registration rolls. Voter registration is often an unnecessary barrier to voter participation, and states can eliminate that barrier by automatically registering valid voters in this way.

Far from a ruse that registers invalid voters (an assertion from your op-ed that the Washington Post later corrected), it would simply make it easier for more people to participate in our elections. In fact, automatic voter registration actually improves election integrity by helping states clean up their voter rolls..................

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I invite you to the classroom anytime you are available.