Biden Administration Will Now Pay Students to Harvest Voters

Kamala "Chuckles" Harris announced earlier this week that the Biden administration will now be paying college students to register people to vote. Under the guise of “protecting voting rights,” this administration is now a gnat’s eyelash away from outright buying votes.

Kamala Harris says the federal government is going to pay college students to register voters for the election
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— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 28, 2024

The students will be paid under the Federal Work Study Program. The FWS Program provides funds for part-time employment to help needy students finance the costs of postsecondary education. Students can receive FWS funds at approximately 3,400 participating postsecondary institutions. Hourly wages must not be less than the federal minimum wage. 

A participating institution applies each year for FWS funding by submitting a Fiscal Operations Report and Application to Participate (FISAP) to the U.S. Department of Education. Using a statutory formula, the Department allocates funds based on the institution’s previous funding level and the aggregate need of eligible students in attendance in the prior year. In most cases, the school or the employer must pay up to a 50 percent share of a student’s wages under FWS. In some cases, such as FWS jobs as reading or mathematics tutors, the federal share of the wages can be as high as 100 percent.

Students may be employed by the institution itself, a federal, state, or local public agency, a private nonprofit organization, or a private for-profit organization. Institutions must use at least 7 percent of their Work Study allocation to support students working in community service jobs, including, reading tutors for preschool age or elementary school children, mathematics tutors for students enrolled in elementary school through ninth grade, literacy tutors in a family literacy project performing family literacy activities, or emergency preparedness and response.

Notice that nothing in that description mentions anything about voter registration assistance. However, on March 7, 2021, Biden signed Executive Order 14019, which was subtitled “Promoting Access to Voting.” The order essentially panders to people of color, listing non-existent problems, as though they are real-life obstacles. Things such as difficulties with voter registration, lack of election information, and barriers to access at polling places. 

It goes on to say: 

That for generations: black voters and other voters of color have faced discriminatory policies and other obstacles that disproportionally affect their communities. These voters remain more likely to face long lines at the polls and are disproportionately burdened by voter identification laws and limited opportunities to vote by mail. Limited access to language assistance remains a barrier for many voters. People with disabilities continue to face barriers to voting and are denied legally required accommodations in exercising their fundamental rights and the ability to vote privately and independently. Members of our military serving overseas, as well as other American citizens living abroad, also face challenges to exercising their fundamental right to vote.

Then, on April 21, 2022, the Department published Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) GEN-22-05 regarding requirements for distributing voter registration forms. In summary, the letter outlines the Higher Education Act (HEA) requirement for certain institutions in most states and the District of Columbia to make a good-faith effort to distribute voter registration forms to their students.

Then, just three days ago, in a preemptive strike before the election, DCL Gen-24-03 was sent. Here is the first paragraph of that letter:

Dear Colleague:

On April 21, 2022, the Department published Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) GEN-22-05, regarding requirements for distribution of voter registration forms. Since publication of GEN-22-05, the Department has received several requests for review and clarification of its position, particularly with respect to employment of FWS students in voter registration activities by public entities. As a result of that review, the Department is today clarifying that FWS funds may be used for employment by a Federal, State, local, or Tribal public agency for civic engagement work that is not associated with a particular interest or group, consistent with 34 CFR § 675.22(b)(5). This work can include supporting broad-based get-out-the-vote activities, voter registration, providing voter assistance at a polling place or through a voter hotline, or serving as a poll worker. We believe this reading is supported by the language of 34 CFR § 675.22(b)(5) and adheres to the meaning of the regulation when read as a whole, namely promoting student employment in the public interest while ensuring that such work is neither associated with any faction in election for public or party office, nor constitutes political activity.

Right.

This administration, which washes its hands of responsibility on so many necessary issues, clearly makes the self-preservation of the Democratic party a high priority. Starting with the pandering in 2021, then making sure that college students could and would vote in the 2022 midterms, and now expanding the FWS program that allows students to get paid to harvest Democratic voters.

At the announcement, which Harris made from the Indian Treaty Room (oh, the symbolism), she said this: 

We have seen those who would loudly attempt to interfere in the lawful votes of the American people and attempt to question the integrity of a fair and free election system. We have seen a rise in threats against poll workers. In fact, I met some recently in Georgia who had harrowing experiences in terms of how they were threatened, their well-being as well as their livelihood.

There is an old saying that states that if someone accuses you of doing something that you’re not doing, it’s usually because they’re the ones doing it. This is also known as projecting, and liberal Democrats are masters of it. Take Harris’s statement for example. The only people interfering in the lawful votes of the American people and attempting to question the integrity of a fair and free election system are Democrats. 

The plan includes emailing instructions on how to register to vote to everyone enrolled in the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare; paying students through FWS for helping people register to vote and working as nonpartisan poll workers; starting initiatives to protect election workers and announcing three national “days of action” to promote voting.

The three days are June 19 (Juneteenth), Aug. 6 (the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act), and National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 17.

Then, to throw in a touch of drama, Harris announced that she would be in Selma, Ala., on Sunday in remembrance of “Bloody Sunday.”

Many of us will be in Selma on Sunday to commemorate Bloody Sunday to remember the great John Lewis and Amelia Boynton and so many others. To issue a call, yet again, for Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The Democrats aren’t even trying to hide what they’re doing. This is the equivalent of stuffing ballot boxes, with the added fun factor that we get to pay for it. It really does raise red flags about whether we will ever be able to trust election results again.