Election Security
Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy.
In February, I voted against President Trump’s SAVE Act which is a solution in search of a problem. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, analyzed hundreds of millions of votes cast in several swing states over multiple decades and found less than 100 cases of voter fraud per state. A fraud rate of 0.00002% in California.
The SAVE Act, however, makes it harder for citizens to vote and requires voters to have documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate. A standard driver's license or REAL ID would not qualify in most states. Neither would a military ID or tribal ID by themselves. That would burden married women, servicemembers, young people, and low-income people – people who may not have access to the documents they need or the ability to easily present them in person to register to vote – the most.
Two months ago, CA Attorney General Rob Bonta joined me on my podcast to discuss election security concerns and the implications of recent Supreme Court decisions on voting rights and campaign finance. He and I are fighting against President Trump’s attacks on our elections, but you can take steps to protect your right to vote, too. Vote as early as possible this November, then track your ballot to ensure your vote is counted. Sign up for notifications on the status of your ballot from the Secretary of State.
Permitting Reform
Americans are frustrated with the delays and gridlock that keep good things like clean energy, housing, infrastructure improvements, and more stuck in limbo for years. Too often, my colleagues in Congress treat that gridlock like it's just the system we're stuck with. It isn't. We built this system, and I believe we can fix it. Years of building coalitions to get it done are now coming to fruition.
Save Our Sequoias (SOS) Act: California's giant sequoias are the largest trees on Earth and some of the oldest living things on the planet, built to survive fire with bark up to three feet thick. But even a tree that's stood for thousands of years can't survive the unnatural, catastrophic wildfires we're seeing now. My SOS Act with Rep. Bruce Westerman (AK- 04) would allow forest managers and tribes to save the iconic giant sequoias from wildfire, instead of being delayed years by red tape. It passed the House in March, and I'm confident the Senate will follow soon.
Fix Our Forests Act (FOFA): Also with Rep. Westerman, FOFA is a major forest management and permitting reform bill, with strong bipartisan support in both House and Senate. It would help us speed up projects to stop catastrophic fires from happening on a much larger scale. It has also passed the House and recently passed the Senate Agriculture Committee.
CERTAIN Act: This bill with Rep. Gabe Evans (CO-08) would cut through burdensome regulations and guarantee that if you apply for a permit for an energy project that complies with the law, it will be timely processed, and if the permit is issued, you can rely on it. We’ve done this in part in response to President Trump pulling the plug on already permitted offshore wind projects and slow walking new applications for wind and solar projects on Federal land.
Listen to the full townhall here.
