Aside from immigration, Vice President Kamala Harris is also leading the Biden administration’s efforts to protect voting rights. Following five pieces of legislation that were signed into law in Nevada last week, Harris said the new laws in the state “make voting easier.”
Harris issued a statement commenting on the five pieces of legislation that were passed in Nevada and were signed into law last week by Governor Steve Sisolak. Harris said in the statement that the new Nevada laws now make it easier for residents to avail of mail-in voting, making it easier for residents to vote overall. Harris reiterated the administration’s support for the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Acts, urging Congress to pass both proposals.
“Earlier this month, Nevada made voting easier by expanding mail-in voting. And today, the Governor signed into law additional legislation to increase access to the ballot box. The fact is: When Americans cast a ballot, we not only decide our leaders. We determine the future of our nation, and we strengthen our democracy,” said the vice president.
Sisolak laid out the summaries of the five proposals he signed into law on social media; Assembly Bills 121, 126, 321, 422, and 432. Assembly Bill 121 allows voters with disabilities to use the electronic transmission system used by military and overseas voters to register to vote as well as request absentee ballots. Assembly Bill 126 changes Nevada’s elections to a government-run primary election, with the presidential primary taking place on the first Tuesday in February during an election year.
Assembly Bill 321 will replace existing law with new provisions that will require county and city clerks to send every registered voter a ballot for all elections. Assembly Bill 422 will require the Secretary of State to create a centralized database to collect and store voter preregistration and registration information from all counties. Assembly Bill 432 will expand the list of state agencies that will implement automatic voter registration.
In other news, Mexican President Andres Miguel Lopez-Obrador praised Harris following their meeting last week to discuss the migration crisis. Lopez Obrador said that the meeting with Harris went very well that he called her ‘president.’ The Mexican leader also said that the meeting “broke new ground” and another Biden administration official would be coming to visit.