Press Release  AG Healey Urges Passage of ‘for the People Act of 2021’

BOSTON — Attorney General Maura Healey today joined a coalition of attorneys general in sending a letter to Congressional leadership urging support for the For the People Act of 2021 (H.R. 1/S. 1). The bill is an omnibus package of democracy reforms designed to expand access to the ballot, protect elections from foreign interference, force disclosure of dark money in federal elections, and raise ethical standards for federal officials. 

According to a Brennan Center report, in 2021 legislative sessions to date, at least 165 bills in 33 states have been introduced to restrict voting access – four times the number of similar bills introduced last year. Despite confirmation that there was no evidence of widespread fraud or irregularity in the 2020 election, state legislators have seized upon baseless voter-fraud allegations to curtail mail-in voting options, impose stringent voter ID requirements, limit voter registration opportunities, and allow even more aggressive purging of voter rolls.

“In 2020, we faced dangerous and unparalleled attacks on our democracy,” said AG Healey. “As attorneys general, we have fiercely defended the right to vote and upheld the will of the people. While we work to strengthen trust in our electoral process, this bill provides important reforms to protect access to the ballot box, remove the influence of dark money, and take steps to ensure accountability and racial justice. We urge Congress to act quickly to pass this legislation.”

The Act includes several measures that would making it easier to vote, reducing the influence of dark money in elections, and codifying ethical standards for public servants. The Act would improve and modernize access to the ballot by:

• requiring states to implement online registration;
• establishing automatic voter registration;
• prohibiting unnecessary purges of the voting rolls;
• requiring states to permit voters in federal elections to submit a sworn statement to meet ID requirements;
• expanding access to federal elections through early voting and mail-in voting; and
• prohibiting the knowing dissemination of false information about elections and stiffening penalties for voter intimidation.

Additionally, the Act would close dark-money loopholes by requiring disclosure when wealthy donors give $10,000 or more to a group that spends money on elections and addresses partisan gerrymandering by putting redistricting in the hands of independent commissions. 

Finally, the Act seeks to close legal loopholes that allow the President and certain federal officials to evade accountability for personally profiting from their office by:

• heightening disclosure requirements applicable to the president;
• requiring the holder of the Office of the President to divest from financial interests that pose a conflict of interest;
• providing the Office of Government Ethics with enhanced enforcement powers; and,
• prohibiting members of Congress from serving on the board of directors of for-profit entities during their terms in office and requiring the Judicial Conference to develop a code of ethics applicable to Supreme Court Justices. 

In addition to Massachusetts, the letter was signed by the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington. 

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