RX Democrac

A Joint Petition Started By Physicians to:

Hon. Secretaries of State & CEOs of America’s Hospitals

Whereas:

• A healthy democracy and effective healthcare policy depends on the full participation of Americans
• Seventy-three million American citizens are not registered to vote
• Five million Americans will have a harder time exercising their right to vote because of restrictive laws that have either been introduced or passed in 40 states since 2011.

and Whereas

• Nearly 4.5 million registered voters, mostly low-income, did not vote in 2010 due to illness or disability
• America’s hospitals provide over 640 million outpatient visits each year and care for over 520,000 admitted patients every day
• It should be as easy to register to vote at a Hospital as at the DMV
• Nonpartisan voter registration does not interfere with patient care or legally permitted activities

We, the undersigned, urge all of America’s Hospital CEOs to uphold voting rights and:

• work with local civic groups and election officials to conduct on-site voter registration drives or offer voter registration as part of everyday hospital practice, in a manner consistent with local and state law and regulations
• formally request their State to designate hospitals and facilities as voter registration agencies under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (Section 7, 42 U.S.C. § 1973gg-5(a))
• permit meaningful opportunities for civic organizations and state and local election officials to provide nonpartisan voter registration information and assistance at Hospital facilities, including the ability to support nonpartisan voter registration drives in coordination with the Hospital
• provide Hospital patients and staff with absentee ballot information and make absentee ballots and applications available upon request, as well as assistance in completing and delivering such applications and ballots to local elections officials;

and We, the undersigned, also call upon Hon. Secretaries of State,

• to offer assistance to and designate as voter registration agencies all Hospital facilities that receive any federal or state funds and are located in their State, under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (Section 7, 42 U.S.C. § 1973gg-5(a))