Greater Access to the Ballot Through Vote-By-Mail and Other Technologies

WHEREAS, the 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution grants all citizens the right to vote; and

WHEREAS, the NAACP believes that all Americans have the right to an electoral process that is accessible and accountable; and

WHEREAS, the current U.S. electoral system is plagued by barriers such as voter fraud, faulty machinery and time restrictions that impede certain citizens from participating in local, state, and federal elections; and

WHEREAS, the NAACP is firmly committed to advocating for electoral policies that address the disparities that exist in voter registration, voter education, and election protection in order to ensure that all eligible voters have an opportunity to cast informed ballots in local, state, and federal elections and for those ballots to be accurately counted; and

WHEREAS, the NAACP acknowledges that technology has opened vast new corridors for election reform; and

WHEREAS, the NAACP supports an approach to election reform that calls for improvements in election administration for poll-site voting and acknowledges the need to develop, implement, and support innovative and accessible mechanisms that enable voters to cast their ballots; and

WHEREAS, the NAACP recognizes the need to safeguard election reform with strategies and practices that provide greater accessibility to the electoral process while preserving the procedural integrity of each ballot; now

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP will develop cutting edge strategies and best practices for maximizing voter participation in a manner that is accessible and beneficial for all; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports policies that would facilitate the implementation of access-driven voting strategies and technological advancements in voting that are proven to be effective and secure ways of casting and counting votes; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP will continue to promote a far-reaching effort that is focused on increasing voter participation and election protection.