Senate Unanimously Passes Padilla, McConnell Resolution Recognizing National Voter Registration Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight over elections and California's former Secretary of State, announced that the Senate unanimously passed S. Res. 388, his bipartisan resolution with Rules Committee Chairman Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) recognizing National Voter Registration Day. The resolution encourages eligible Americans to register to vote, verify with the appropriate state or local election official that their personal information is current, and cast their ballot.

"Amid relentless attacks from this Administration on our democracy and the right to vote, the best way American citizens can make their voices heard is by registering to vote online, by mail, or in person," said Senator Padilla. "As California's former Secretary of State, I oversaw record voter registration and participation, and I will keep working to help all citizens participate in our democracy. I encourage all eligible Americans to visit vote.gov to confirm you're registered to vote with the correct information and learn how to cast your ballot."

National Voter Registration Day is a nonpartisan event celebrated by election officials across the country on a Tuesday in September. The day is endorsed by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and the National Association of Election Officials (Election Center).

National Voter Registration Day began in 2012 with 2,000 civic organizations helping launch the civic holiday to encourage people to register to vote.

Senator Padilla has led the charge opposing President Trump and Republicans' reckless attempts to restrict the right to vote. In May, Padilla stopped Senator Mike Lee's (R-Utah) attempt to pass the anti-voter SAVE Act through the Senate by unanimous consent. Earlier this year, he convened a Rules Committee Democrats spotlight forum focused on Congressional Republicans' SAVE Act and Trump's illegal anti-voter executive order. As President Trump marked 100 disastrous days in office, Padilla led his Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor to speak out against the SAVE Act and the Trump Administration's attacks on election integrity. In April, he warned Secretaries of State, Lieutenant Governors, and Chief Election Officials across the country of the devastating potential impacts of the SAVE Act, concerns that have been echoed by top election officials across the country. Padilla also led a letter sounding the alarm on the devastating impacts on voting rights in Native American communities of the SAVE Act and Trump's executive order.

Additionally, Padilla led 11 Senators in introducing the Defending America's Future Elections Act to repeal Trump's illegal anti-voter executive order and prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive voter registration data and state records. Padilla previously led 14 Democratic Senators in calling on Trump to revoke his illegal anti-voter executive order and issued a statement slamming the order when it was announced. In July, Padilla convened a Rules and Judiciary Committee Democrats spotlight forum focused on racial gerrymandering and voter suppression, in which he reiterated concerns that the Department of Homeland Security's insufficiently tested Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program could purge eligible citizens from state voter rolls.

Before coming to the Senate, Padilla established automatic and same-day voter registration, upgraded California's voting systems to meet higher security standards, and expanded mail-in and in-person early voting as the chief elections officer for the most populous state in the nation.

Full text of the resolution is available here.

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