Promoting Access to Voting

March 7, 2021

Executive Order 14019 directed federal agencies to develop plans to promote voter registration and participation, including making federal facilities available for registration, providing voting information to federal employees and beneficiaries, and improving access for underserved communities. Critics argued the order improperly enlisted federal agencies in what amounts to a partisan voter mobilization effort, since the demographics served by federal programs skew toward certain political preferences. The order raised federalism concerns because the Elections Clause grants primary authority over election administration to state legislatures, and using federal agencies to effectively conduct voter registration campaigns could be seen as federal intrusion into state-administered election systems.