Press Releases Archive

Overwhelming Majority Of American Voters Call Voting Rights A “Very Important” Issue, According To New Poll

While Senate Republicans and two Democrats – Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) – blocked action on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis voting rights legislation in January, an overwhelming majority of voters consider voting rights to be one of the most important issues in the upcoming 2022 elections, according to a […]

Chicago Sun-Times: “Give Candidates Who Aren’t Wealthy, Or Backed By The Rich, A Chance To Be Heard”

“A small donor matching system using public funds would help level the playing field and give politicians a reason to listen to ordinary voters.” — Chicago Sun-Times A small donor matching fund system for candidates running for state office in Illinois “would give candidates a reason to spend more time listening to ordinary people instead […]

Statement On The Passing Of Walter Dellinger

Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer One of the nation’s greatest constitutional scholars and Supreme Court lawyers, former Acting Solicitor General Walter Dellinger, passed away yesterday. (Read more about his remarkable career and contribution to our nation here and here.) Walter, whom I knew for only a few years, was a friend and colleague. He was a […]

Leadership Conference On Civil And Human Rights And 53 Other Groups, Including Democracy 21, Urge Congress To Remain Focused On The Fight For Voting Rights

Reforms to the Electoral Count Act (ECA) are “needed and welcome, but they simply are not adequate to meet the current moment.” As Congress considers the next steps in the fight to move voting rights forward, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 230 national organizations, and 53 individual […]

Statement of D21 On The Senate Voting Down A Filibuster Rules Change That Would Have Allowed Voting Rights To Pass By Majority Vote

  “The Fight Goes On.”  Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer American democracy suffered a major defeat last night. Last night, 52 Senators voted down a filibuster rules change that would have allowed the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act to pass the Senate by majority vote. Those Senators – 50 Republicans and […]

Wertheimer Op-Ed On “NBC News Think”: Trump And The GOP’s Biggest Voting Rights Lies — And Why They’re Wrong

As the voting rights debate begins “the decision Senators make will determine whether our democracy and the right to vote will be preserved — or whether Trump’s Big Lie will continue to contaminate the country,” D21 President Fred Wertheimer writes on NBC Think. Debate on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis voting rights legislation is […]

National Pro-Democracy Coalition Calls On Senate Democrats To Hold The Floor Until The Freedom To Vote: John R. Lewis Act Is Passed

On Tuesday night, as the Senate continued debate on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, a coalition of 63 organizations and partners, including Democracy 21, issued statements regarding the urgency and importance of passing the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act and continuing debate until the legislation is passed. Statement of Democracy […]

Sports Legends Endorse Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act

  “[W]e are united now in urging Congress to exercise its Constitutional responsibility to enact laws that set national standards for the conduct of Federal elections and for decisions that determine election outcomes,” Jerry West, Nick Saban, Paul Tagliabue And Others Write In Letter To Sen. Manchin   In a letter to Senator Joe Manchin […]

D21 Urges Senate To Engage In Extended Debate On Voting Rights

  In a letter today, Democracy 21 urged the 50 Senators who support the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act to “do whatever it takes” to pass the legislation. When Senate proponents “fought for the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964, they recognized the bill was of overriding importance to the country,” according to […]

D21 Statement On Sen. Majority Leader Schumer Setting The Stage To Bring Voting Rights To Senate Floor

Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer Democracy 21 strongly applauds Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for his masterful strategy to get the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to the Senate floor for consideration without being blocked by a Republican filibuster. Working with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, […]