Actress Jennifer Lawrence pledged, a little over a year ago, to take a temporary hiatus from the entertainment business in order to “save the world” through political action and she’s finally found her crusade: voting from home.
The “Silver Linings Playbook” actress is a board member and spokesperson for the “anti-corruption” group, Represent.Us, a left-of-center mega-group backed by some of the most notorious names in political fundraising, including the Rockefeller Foundation and the George Soros-funded TIDES foundation, and, in partnership with Represent.Us, has launched a “vote-from-home pledge aimed at Millennial and Gen Z voters.
A video, starring Lawrence, debuted on social media Thursday.
“First and foremost, I want to give my heartfelt sympathies to everyone who’s been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and my deepest gratitude to the emergency responders and healthcare workers who are risking their health every day,” the actress says, clearly from somewhere in her home. “The best thing that we can do to slow the spread of this virus is to stay at home.”
She quickly connects the coronavirus pandemic, though, to the November election.
But there’s still an election coming up with millions of Americans who have yet to cast their ballot in the 2020 primaries, which is why you should go to represent.us/voteathome so that you can cast your ballot from the safety of your own home,” she says. “Some states won’t allow you to turn in an absentee ballot without an excuse, but a bill in congress and your secretary of state can fix this right now.”
“This is extremely important. It’s our elections we’re talking about, so please help spread the word by posting on your social media with the hashtag #VoteAtHome. Stay safe and healthy everybody,” she concludes, noting that she plans to “tag” comedian Amy Schumer to keep the pressure on.
From RepUs Board Member Jennifer Lawrence: We need to be able to vote without getting sick. I’m calling on @amyschumer to go to https://t.co/Yalw4id4hv, request your mail-in ballot, call your senator to support Vote at Home, and tag 3 friends to call and share with #VoteAtHome. pic.twitter.com/9kzXdkLa6P
— RepresentUs (@representus) April 1, 2020
Voting from home is a new Democrat priority; Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) tried to sneak a complete overhaul of the electoral process, including a national vote-from-home provision into the third coronavirus relief package passed last week, and former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, has been echoing calls for the program in media appearances, telling MSNBC that “this is about making sure that we’re able to conduct our democracy while we’re dealing with a pandemic.”
Republicans have been largely skeptical of Democratic efforts to move to a national vote from home program, suggesting that Democrats would use the system to tinker with the election. Absentee ballots can be vulnerable to fraud, and a national vote-from-home program would bring those problems to a much larger stage — with much more at stake.
Lawrence’s plea, too, probably isn’t just about the health and safety of Americans during a coronavirus pandemic. As The Daily Wire reported last year, Represent.Us is an unabashedly progressive organization that seeks to end gerrymandering, end “corporate involvement” in elections, and eliminate “dark money.” The group shares in a fund of money that’s largely split between “Black Lives Matter, Media Matters, Demos, Planned Parenthood, and other like minded organizations.”