Rich Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss how the Alliance has worked with state legislators to improve retirees' access to vote across the country.
Since the 2020 election, states across the country have enacted stricter voting laws in an attempt to make voting more secure. Fiesta discussed how these laws have created issues for retirees to cast their ballots. Among the issues is the process for how mail-in ballots were handled in Pennsylvania. Fiesta explained the previous issues with the mail-in ballot envelopes and what has been done to fix the problems.
In Wisconsin, lawmakers previously claimed communities could not use ballot drop boxes. However, a new Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice was elected in 2023, which turned out to be the deciding opinion that ruled ballot drop boxes could be used in 2024. Fiesta added that municipalities will make the final decision on drop boxes, but there will be some drop sites throughout the state.
Finally, Fiesta discussed the voting record of legislators, including Sen J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), who scored a zero on worker and retiree legislation. In contrast, Fiesta spoke about President Joe Biden’s pro-labor agenda, proving why Biden is the most pro-labor president since President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Listen to the show above to hear more from Rich Fiesta.