Senator Reverend Warnock pushed U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan on updates regarding GSA’s implementation of President Biden’s 2021 Executive Order to modernize Vote.gov

Senator Reverend Warnock has been a leading advocate in the Senate for securing our democracy and enacting meaningful federal voting rights legislation

Senator Reverend Warnock, Lawmakers: “The success of the administration’s efforts to promote voting hinge on the success of this effort as many federal agencies are increasing voter access by directing their users to Vote.gov”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) pushed U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan for updates regarding GSA’s implementation of President Biden’s 2021 Executive Order to modernize Vote.gov. The letter, also led by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) along with 12 others, requests updates as the agency implements the Executive Order to promote and increase voting access.

“The success of the administration’s efforts to promote voting hinge on the success of this effort as many federal agencies are increasing voter access by directing their users to Vote.gov,” wrote the Senators to GSA.“…We applaud the actions GSA has taken thus far to implement the Voting Executive Order and expand voter registration access, such as by translating trustworthy voter information in 16 additional languages, including Chinese, Navajo, Hindi, and Tagalog. We want to underscore the urgency and significance of swiftly continuing this progress and urge the GSA to promptly implement needed changes to Vote.gov.”

Senator Warnock has been a leading advocate in the Senate for securing our democracy and enacting meaningful federal voting rights legislation, including urging his colleagues to pass federal voting rights protections in his maiden floor speech after being elected; crafting updated federal voting rights legislation to address various voter suppression efforts happening in Georgia and nationwide; and pressing the moral case in the Senate and beyond for why Congress must urgently pass legislation to protect the sacred right to vote. Last year, Public Citizen awarded Senator Warnock with the Golden Boot Award for his advocacy at the federal level to champion federal voting rights legislation and defend our democracy. In July 2023, the Senator joined his colleagues in introducing the Freedom to Vote Act and led the introduction of the Preventing Election Subversion Act. In the coming weeks, the Senator will reintroduce the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, named in honor of the Senator’s parishioner and mentor the late Congressman John Lewis.

Find the full letter to Administrator Carnahan HERE and below:

Dear Administrator Carnahan, 

We write to request an update on your agency’s implementation of President Biden’s Executive Order 14019 to promote voting access by modernizing Vote.gov. 

The Voting Executive Order specifically instructed GSA to take steps to modernize and improve Vote.gov, an official website of GSA, in partnership with the Election Assistance Commission, agencies, and key stakeholders. The Executive Order’s section on vote.gov modernization requires the website (as well as the forms on it) to become accessible to people with disabilities, accessible to people who speak non-English languages, and –to the extent possible – fully usable as an online experience. 

The success of the administration’s efforts to promote voting hinge on the success of this effort as many federal agencies are increasing voter access by directing their users to Vote.gov. 

Vote.gov serves as the primary federal resource for voters to register to vote, check their voter registration status, and find voting information. These services are essential to the one in four eligible voters who are not registered to vote. Vote.gov currently states it “continues to improve the site to meet the goals in President Biden’s Executive Order… [which] include improving accessibility, translating voter tools into key languages, and enhancing search functionality on the website.”

We applaud the actions GSA has taken thus far to implement the Voting Executive Order and expand voter registration access, such as by translating trustworthy voter information in 16 additional languages, including Chinese, Navajo, Hindi, and Tagalog. We want to underscore the urgency and significance of swiftly continuing this progress and urge the GSA to promptly implement needed changes to Vote.gov. 

Voters continue to face challenges to access their fundamental right to vote. According to research conducted by the Brennan Center, 14 states enacted 17 restrictive voting laws in 2023. North Carolina’s law eliminates ballot drop boxes, restricts vote by mail, and makes it more likely that voters using same-day registration do not have their ballots counted. Idaho’s law targets students by restricting commonly-used documentation by students to register to vote. 

We commend GSA for its efforts to promote voter registration and voting information access, and ask that you provide us, no later than March 1, 2024 with (1) a complete outline of GSA’s implementation plan of the Voting Executive Order, (2) an accompanying status update and timeline on their execution and/or implementation, and (3) the date the Administration expects the implementation and Vote.gov modernization to be substantially complete. 

We thank you for your commitment to voters and appreciate your engagement. 

Sincerely, 

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