On Monday, Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) and Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) introduced the Our Homes Our Votes Act, a bill that facilitates voter registration for residents of federally subsidized housing by allowing them to register to vote as they sign their lease and verify their income. The bill has 26 original cosponsors. The provisions of the Our Homes Our Votes Act mirror the popular National Voter Registration Act of 1993 or “Motor Voter Law,” which allows eligible voters to register to vote directly at the DMV as they obtain or renew their drivers’ license. The Our Homes Our Votes Act: 

• Allows eligible and interested tenants in housing administered by a Public Housing Agency (PHA) to register to vote as they sign their lease document and verify their income without providing duplicate information;

• Requires PHA’s to transmit these voter registration forms to local election authorities in a timely manner;

• Designates private landlords of subsidized housing as “voter registration agents” responsible for distributing voter registration forms and helping tenants fill them out if needed.