Voting and Elections
Throughout his career in Congress, Rep. Larson has continually fought for free and fair elections for the American people, fighting to end the influence of big money in politics.
Standing up for Democracy
Rep. Larson believes we must take action to protect our democracy in the face of attacks from mob rule, foreign nations, and other bad actors. This Congress, Rep. Larson is fighting President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans’ attempts to undermine the right to vote. Rep. Larson has:
Opposed the SAVE Act, which would make it harder for Americans without passports, military service members, and married women to register to vote. The SAVE Act would force the 34.9% of Connecticut residents who do not have passports to pay over $152 million in passport fees and will create new voting barriers for the 747,439 Connecticut women with a name that does not match their birth certificate.
Helped introduce the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. A direct response to the Supreme Court’s undermining of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, this bill will restore and enhance Americans’ protections from discriminatory voting laws that seek to disenfranchise them.
Condemned the President for his dangerous Executive Orderon election integrity. The EO calls for proof of citizenship nationwide when registering to vote -- a change from current election laws and creates new restrictions on mail-in voting, making federal funding conditional on states setting a deadline for ballots to be received by Election Day.
When Congressional Democrats held the majority, Rep. Larson helped pass critical legislation to safeguard the right to vote and protect against government overreach:
For the People Act: This comprehensive election and campaign finance reform bill would create a small dollar matching program, end partisan gerrymandering nationally, and provide funding and standards for election security.
Freedom to Vote Act: A bill with a comprehensive approach to increasing electoral participation, the Freedom to Vote Act is most notable for its establishment of nationwide early voting standards and automatic voter registration for U.S. citizens.
Protecting Our Democracy Act: This package of ethics reforms would strengthen our Democratic institutions and ensure that the Office of the President and other elected officials and public servants act in the best interests of the people they serve.
Electoral Count Act: Signed into law before the beginning of 2023 and as part of our efforts to ensure the actions of January 6 can never happen again, this legislation overhauls the process to count Electoral College votes to ensure the Will of the People cannot be subverted by those who want to alter the outcome.
Getting Big Money Out of Politics
Rep. Larson was an early proponent of publicly financed congressional campaigns to put the power of our elections in the hands of the people instead of wealthy individuals and big corporations. He introduced legislation modeled after Connecticut’s successful small dollar matching program that was integrated into the For the People Act.
In the 2013, Rep. Larson was appointed by the Speaker of the House to serve as Chairman of the Task Force on Election Reform, leading the Democratic Caucus' efforts to shed light on the impact of the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC. This U.S. Supreme Court decision on Citizens United opened a Pandora's Box of unintended consequences by allowing nearly unlimited money to flow into our elections.
Rep. Larson supports a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United and allow for common sense campaign finance laws to end dark money and limit large contributions.
More on Voting and Elections
U.S. Rep. John B. Larson said he has cosponsored a bill that would bar members of Congress from owning, buying or selling stocks.
He’s backing the Restore Trust in Congress Act, which would prohibit not only members, but their spouses, dependent children and trustees from owning, buying or selling individual stocks, securities, commodities, futures and other comparable assets.
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) cosponsored the bipartisan Restore Trust in Congress Act, which would bar Members of Congress from owning, buying, or selling stocks.
East Hartford, CT - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) released the following statement after U. S. Capitol Police arrested a visitor with a lighter and a flare gun at the Capitol Visitor Center.
Washington, D.C. – Today, on National Voter Registration Day, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) joined every House Democrat in introducing H.R. 14, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. The bill would protect the right to vote and safeguard our democracy by restoring and modernizing the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA).
Universal Voting Forum
Rep. John B. Larson and former Connecticut Secretary of the State Miles Rapoport wrote the following op-ed that appeared in the Hartford Courant:
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) voted for the Presidential Election Reform Act, bipartisan legislation to reform and strengthen our electoral count and prevent future attempts to undermine presidential elections.
U.S. Rep. John B. Larson wrote the following op-ed that appeared in the Hartford Courant:
Universal Voting Forum
