Underwood Works to Safeguard U.S. Elections During Coronavirus Pandemic, Holds Virtual Forum On Election Security

WASHINGTON— Today, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Vice Chair of the Homeland Security Committee, continued her work to safeguard U.S. elections in a virtual panel discussion on strengthening election security and integrity during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with Representative Jim Langevin (RI-02). During the forum, Underwood questioned Wendy Weiser from The Brennan Center for Justice, and Leigh Chapman from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights on steps states can take to address challenges facing voters and election officials in the 2020 election. Underwood addressed the urgent need to invest in election infrastructure to ensure that every American can cast a vote safely.

"The threat the coronavirus pandemic poses to our elections goes beyond physical endangerment. We have already seen efforts by foreign adversaries to take advantage of this crisis by spreading dangerous falsehoods about the disease. We must prepare for disinformation campaigns that could undermine public confidence in an electoral process that looks different than people are used to," said Underwood. "The integrity of our elections is essential to the preservation of our republic. Especially after the last week, when it's been painfully clear all over this country that all voices are not always heard, it's our patriotic duty to make sure that every voice is heard and every vote is counted."

A full video of Underwood's remarks can be found here.

As Vice Chair of the Homeland Security Committee, Underwood has continuously worked to protect the integrity of U.S. elections and strengthen election security. In October 2019, Underwood welcomed the Homeland Security Committee to Gurnee, Illinois for a field hearing on securing Illinois elections. During the hearing, Underwood discussed the importance of securing U.S. elections from foreign interference and assessed the work Illinois is doing to prevent future attempts to access voter information and voting systems. Underwood is also a member of Task Force Sentry, a bipartisan group of freshman lawmakers working to develop solutions and to protect the U.S. political system from attack by foreign adversaries.

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