King Cosponsors Legislation to Protect Voting Access for all American Citizens

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) is cosponsoring legislation to strengthen the fundamental right to vote for all American citizens. The Right to Vote Act would establish the first-ever statutory right to vote in federal elections, protecting citizens from state and federal laws that attempt to restrict or limit voter access. Notably, the bill would also allow American citizens to sue states for any policy that unduly restricts ballot access.

Over the last several years, states across the nation have attempted to restrict access to the polls by tightening voter ID laws, shortening voting times, restricting registration, and purging voter rolls. The Right to Vote Act would require that efforts to restrict voting access meet a high standard to justify any policy that makes it harder for citizens to participate in federal elections.

"Free and fair elections are the foundation of participatory government, and any threat to the democratic process is a threat to our democracy itself," said Senator King. "The Right to Vote Act would establish clear protections for voters and help ensure that every eligible American can demonstrate this sacred right in our elections. A healthy democracy depends on broad participation, and this bill will continue to make that participation easier-not harder."

King is joined on the legislation by Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Alex Padilla (D-CA).

Senator King has long been a proponent for the protection of democratic freedoms. In 2023, he introduced the Freedom to Vote Act, which aimed to establish national standards for voting rights, end partisan gerrymandering, and eliminate the influence of secret money in elections. In 2025, Senator King cosponsored the Defending America's Future Election's Act, which would repeal an Executive Order to review voter registration lists and insert the federal government into state voting processes, requirements that would likely disenfranchise millions of eligible American voters if implemented. King also introduced the Voter Choice Act to support the adoption of a ranked choice voting model for federal elections, as well as a resolution to recognize September as National Voting Rights Month.

Increasing civic engagement and historical literacy among Americans is also a prominent objective of Senator King's. In 2025, he introduced the CIVICS Act, bipartisan legislation that would bolster civics education resources for school children across the United States. In 2022, he also introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate a National High School Seniors Voter Registration Day and encourage greater civic participation among high school seniors that are eligible to vote. Most recently, Senator King led a conversation hosted by the Brookings Institute on "Civics at 250" that was nationally televised on C-SPAN.

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