Liberal Groups Explain How IRS, Obamacare Exchange Will Boost Votes

Fred Lucas writes for the Daily Signal about an interesting peek into Democrats’ efforts to boost their votes in the next election.

The Internal Revenue Service not only is involved in voter registration, it should get more involved, a coalition of over 50 liberal groups argues. 

Meanwhile, the Obamacare exchange will attempt to drive up voter registration, while agencies within the Justice Department have acted to ensure that prisoners in federal custody may cast a ballot if eligible.

President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14019, which requires federal agencies to get involved in boosting voter participation, is a little over 2 years old. 

However, members of Congress, the press, and watchdog groups unsuccessfully have sought information on how Biden’s order is being implemented. The Justice Department has claimed presidential privilege to shield related documents from release. 

Yet, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights spearheaded a “progress report” on implementation of Biden’s get-out-the-vote order. It was joined by more than 50 other liberal organizations, including the SPLC Action Fund (affiliated with the controversial Southern Poverty Law Center), the American Civil Liberties Union, Demos, Public Citizen, and the Sierra Club. 

“The executive order is unconstitutional. States are supposed to be in charge of election laws,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told The Daily Signal in a phone interview Monday. “The administration has not been telling the American people what they are doing.” 

In October, Norman led a letter signed by nine House Republicans seeking information about how federal agencies were implementing Biden’s executive order. In January, 36 House Republicans signed a similar letter seeking details from the Biden administration on implementation of the order. 

The report by the progressive groups, released in March, is not long on specifics but provides details that proved elusive to Congress. In assessing 10 government agencies, the report determines that the Treasury Department (which includes the IRS), the Interior Department, and the Department of Veterans Affairs are on track. It deems other agencies as needing improvement or falling behind.