Biden signs voting rights order on ‘Bloody Sunday’ anniversary. Here’s what it does

President Joe Biden on Sunday signed an executive order aimed at expanding voting access — marking the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama.

The order, which Biden discussed at the Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast, will work to expand access to voter registration and information, aim to increase access to voting and analyze barriers to voting, among other things, according to a news release from the White House.

On March 7, 1965, known as “Bloody Sunday,” civil rights activists organized a march for voting rights from Selma to Montgomery. The group of about 600 people, led by the late Rep. John Lewis, were met by state troopers, who beat and tear-gassed protesters.

“Today, to mark the 56th anniversary of Selma with actions and not just words, President Biden will sign an Executive Order to promote voting access and allow all eligible Americans to participate in our democracy,” the White House release says. “This Executive Order will leverage the resources of the federal government to increase access to voter registration services and information about voting.”

What Biden’s order will do

▪ Expand access to voter registration and information: The order directs the heads of federal agencies to submit, within 200 days, plans outlining ways their agencies can “promote voter registration and participation.” The Federal Chief Information Officer will also coordinate with the agencies to modernize websites that provide voting information, including by “ensuring that federal websites are accessible to individuals with disabilities and people with limited English proficiency.”

▪ Assist states under the National Voter Registration Act: The order “reaffirms the intent of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 to have federal agencies assist with voter registration efforts.” Under the act, federal agencies can only become voter registration agencies at the request of the state.

The order directs the heads of federal agencies to “evaluate where and how” their agency “provides services that directly engage with the public” and to inform states in which it is operating that it would agree to be a voter registration agency.

▪ Changes to Vote.gov: The order directs the General Services Administration, which helps manage federal agencies, to submit a plan within 200 days to “modernize and improve” Vote.gov, including ways to make the site more accessible. The site provides voting-related information.

“The order requires GSA to seek the input of affected stakeholders, including election administrators, civil rights and disability rights activists, Tribal Nations, and nonprofit groups that study best practices for using technology to promote civic engagement,” the White House says.

▪ Federal employee voting access: The order directs the head of the Office of Personnel Management to make recommendations on providing federal employees with leave to vote or to serve as “non-partisan poll watchers.”

▪ Analyze barriers to voting: Biden’s order directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to provide recommendations on making the online Federal Voter Registration Form accessible to Americans with disabilities and to “analyze barriers to private and independent voting for people with disabilities.”

▪ Military and overseas voters: The order directs the U.S. Secretary of Defense to establish a procedure to offer each active duty member of the military a chance to register to vote, update their voter registration or request an absentee ballot each year. The secretary will also submit a plan for “end-to-end ballot tracking” for overseas ballots.

“And, the head of each federal agency with overseas employees is directed to designate a point of contact to coordinate with the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) and promote voter registration and voting services available to these employees,” the White House says.

▪ Access and education for people in federal prison: Biden’s order directs the Attorney General to “establish procedures” to give voting and registration educational materials to all eligible people in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and to ensure the U.S. Marshals Service “includes language in jail contracts to provide eligible individuals educational materials related to voter registration and voting, and to facilitate voting by mail.”

It also directs the Attorney General to support formerly incarcerated people in obtaining identification that allows them to vote.

▪ Establish a Native American voting rights group: The group will work with “Tribal Nations” to study the best ways to protect the voting rights of Native Americans and will produce a report with recommendations to increase voter outreach, education and voter turnout.

“Native Americans ... face limited opportunities to vote by mail and frequently lack sufficient polling places and voter registration opportunities near their homes,” the White House release says.

Other voting-related efforts

Biden’s executive order comes as Republican lawmakers in many states have sought to restrict voting access after a record turnout and a surge in mail-in voting during the 2020 election.

A February 24 report from the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan policy and law institute, found lawmakers in 43 states have “carried over, prefiled, or introduced” 253 bills “with provisions that restrict voting access.” Many of those bills are aimed at limiting mail-in voting access.

Meanwhile, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed H.R.1, a sweeping voting and elections bill, which House Democrats have said is an effort to counter the efforts in some states to restrict voting access, The Washington Post reports.

The bill includes provisions that would expand access to early and mail-in voting, make registering to vote easier and restore voting rights to people previously convicted of felonies, according to CNN.

Republicans have said they want to halt the bill in the Senate, The Post reports.

“The President is committed to working with Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act and pass H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which includes bold reforms to make it more equitable and accessible for all Americans to exercise their fundamental right to vote,” the White House says.