In Support of Expanding Access to Voting: Pass SC H.3822

This morning, I testified in the South Carolina House Judiciary Subcommittee in support of H.3822. I want to share with you why this is and was important to me this morning, and convey the voices and concerns of South Carolinians.

Thursday April 29, 2021

H.3822

Good morning. I am Amanda McDougald Scott, and of the several roles I serve and have served in my life, in 2020, one of those was Candidate for Greenville County Council.

During my time as a candidate, I called and visited voters in every precinct of District 24. I took notes of the concerns voters had, and kept these notes in a spreadsheet so that I would know and be able to refer back to what voters told me was on their minds when I spoke with them.

One of the top concerns voters had — other than COVID, infrastructure, racism, education, affordable housing, the environment, and growth — was unfettered access to exercise their right to vote in the US elections on or by November 3, 2020.

Americans were concerned enough about their ACCESS to voting that they brought it up with a potential future elected official during their UNEXPECTED and potentially brief call with me. — They didn’t know I’m a curious person who loves a good conversation and would often spend much of my call time discussing the ins and outs of all their concerns.

This is a powerful statement to make that this was at the tops of their minds, even when the pandemic was just starting. They were worried about how they and their fellow Americans would be able to make it to the polls on or before Election Day.

Concerns about access included the safety of voting during a pandemic — but when they were given an early voting option, then they worried about getting a witness. While I was out in the field talking to voters at their homes, I had to tell several voters that their votes had potentially not counted under the most recent and updated guidelines — because they kept changing and people could not keep up.

Some voters were concerned about being able to make it to the polls, because they could not afford an Uber, and were unable to walk to the nearest bus stop.

Many voters were afraid of the limits placed upon them by the justifications needed for voting absentee, or did not know how to vote absentee at all. This was the case even when they knew that COVID was a reason — they were worried about having to PROVE the reasons they were giving for needing to vote absentee. Some voters were worried about Internet access or transportation to be able to make it to register to vote by the unknown deadline.

South Carolina needs H.3822. We need to improve access to every US citizen’s right to vote, and this is an excellent step in the right direction. Make voting more CLEAR and ACCESSIBLE for all US citizens. Take the fear of breaking the rules or not measuring up out of the equation for something that is guaranteed as a RIGHT in the US. Please vote to approve H.3822.