A bill to mandate paper ballots in federal elections nationwide has passed the U.S. House. The Securing America’s Federal Elections Act (or the SAFE Act) now heads to the U.S. Senate.
The bill looks to add more security to federal elections.
Oregon U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Portland, said the SAFE Act would get the nation closer to Oregon’s voting model.
“If everybody had the Oregon voting system, there would be no real question about the integrity of the ballot,” Blumenauer said. “There would be a paper trail.”
Blumenauer said requiring paper ballots for federal elections could encourage states to use the system for all elections, and potentially move to Oregon’s vote-by-mail system.
“At a time when, I think, we have heightened awareness of the potential for people to tamper with the integrity of the election process, having an opportunity to be able to bake in the Oregon paper ballot protections, I’m really excited about,” he said.
The bill would also give financial assistance to states in order to secure and maintain their election infrastructure.