Dem lawmakers introduce bill that would send all registered voters ballots before Election Day

Oregon Democrats Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Earl Blumenauer have introduced legislation to allow all registered U.S. voters the choice to cast their ballot via mail.

Under the Vote at Home Act all registered voters would get ballots through the mail prior to Election Day. The legislation would supply funding for the U.S. Postal Service for the expenses related to "mailing ballots both to and from voters in federal elections," according to a press release from Sen. Wyden's office.

The legislation would also mandate automatic voter registration of every U.S. citizen who supplies identifying information to a state's motor vehicle authority, though people would be provided 21 days to opt out if they did not want to stay registered.

"The Vote at Home Act updates Wyden and Blumenauer's Vote by Mail legislation, first introduced in 2017, to build on innovative electoral reforms around the country," according to the press release.

Thirteen other Democrats are joining Sen. Wyden in introducing the bill in the Senate, according to the release.

"The individual right to vote, the cornerstone of our democracy, is under threat in communities across America. Last year we saw a widespread expansion of vote-at-home access as a safe and secure way to participate during the COVID-19 pandemic," Blumenauer said in a statement. "We should continue to make voting easier, not harder. This important bill would strengthen and clarify the right to vote at home, the most secure and convenient way for voters to exercise the franchise."

The issue of mass mail-in voting proved to be a topic of contention during the 2020 election cycle, with some Republicans opposing widespread mail-in balloting.