Boxer blames GOP leadership for Election Day dysfunctions

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) could have prevented voting problems on Election Day, if the two lawmakers had recommended nominees to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

“I believe the dysfunction we witnessed may have been reduced had this Commission been fully staffed and operational,” Boxer wrote in a letter to Boehner and McConnell on Monday.

Boxer said Republican leaders haven’t recommended people for their two seats on the bipartisan commission — established in 2002 — while pointing out that Democratic leaders have.

“I hope that you will take immediate action to make these recommendations so that we can get the Election Assistance Commission working again, and let the American people know that the government is protecting their fundamental right to vote,” the letter stated.

The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was formed to help implement the Help America Vote Act, which aims to ensure voter access to the polls and protect voter rights. But Boxer said because the Senate hasn’t confirmed the appointments of commissioners, the commission hasn’t held a meeting since 2011.

In the letter, Boxer pointed to reports of long waiting times, sometimes of up to seven hours, for voters to cast ballots, as well as reports of electronic voting machines malfunctioning. 

“The right to vote is a cornerstone of our democracy; but in making our citizens wait for hours in line, and forcing them to choose between casting their ballot or caring for a sick child, or earning a paycheck to feed their families, the government is infringing on their fundamental right to participate in our democracy,” Boxer wrote. “One way we can help guarantee voter access to the polls is with a fully functioning Election Assistance Commission.”

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