Dear [Your Senator / Representative / Governor / State Legislators],

I ask you, as an elected official who respects the Constitution and national norms of decency, to take the immediate essential step of going on record in support of counting all legitimate votes and honoring the outcome of the November 2020 election.

Assuring a fair 2020 election may be one the greatest civic challenges of our lifetimes. We face a pervasive COVID pandemic that complicates voting and all aspects of election administration, coupled with an unprecedented assault on the principle that all adult citizens have a right to vote and have the vote duly counted. The U.S. Constitution specifically requires that voting rights not be denied or abridged based on race, sex, or failure to pay a tax.

As a member of Elders Stand for Fair Elections, I call on you to make a public statement affirming the following principles:

1. All citizens and their votes shall be treated equally.

2. No person or government entity shall take any action to prevent or discourage a citizen from registering or voting lawfully.

3. All legitimate votes shall be counted.

4. In light of the COVID pandemic, there will be a great increase in the volume of mail-in ballots. Public officials must commit to a full vote count and to inform the public of the time required to complete the count.

5. Congress, the Electoral College, state legislatures and governors, the state and federal judiciaries and the campaigns must commit to honor the final vote count and, in all cases in which the non-incumbent candidate wins the election, facilitate a peaceful transfer of power.

I expect you and all elected officials to act in accordance with these principles and to make a clear public statement of concurrence. I am counting on you for active support of a fair election and peaceful transfer of power if that is the will of the electorate.

_____________________________________________________

More About this Campaign

Elders Stand for Fair Elections is a campaign sponsored by Elders Action Network (of which Elders Climate Action is a project), to ensure that all eligible voters are able to exercise their right to vote in the November 2020 general election -- safely, easily, and with confidence that their vote is duly counted.

We are reaching out to elected officials in both chambers of the U.S. Congress, state legislators and governors to urge to make public statements of support for a fair election and peaceful transfer of power.