We have a President hostile to fixing the system and a Congress currently controlled by reform opponents. However, history makes clear that reform issues are cyclical in nature: the kind of scandalous system that exists today has led to major reforms in the past, and can do so again in the future.
Enclosed for your information is an opinion piece entitled “The Supreme Court clearly won’t protect voting rights. But Congress can,” which was published in The Washington Post on July 3, 2021. According to the piece: Instead of waiting for a high court that has already shown its reluctance to protect voters from discriminatory efforts, the […]
FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | July 8, 2021 “The moment of truth is here for our democracy and for the fundamental right of every eligible citizen to vote.” The Constitution makes clear that Congress has the power to establish voting rules for federal elections and that the rules supersede state laws. Thus, Congress can provide […]
FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | July 1, 2021 “The bottom line from today’s Supreme Court decisions: Congressional inaction is not an option. A Senate rule to allow a filibuster is not more important than protecting our democracy against voter discrimination, voter suppression and the corruption of our government and officeholders.” Today’s two Supreme Court decisions […]
Today’s two Supreme Court decisions present a powerful case as to why it is essential for Congress to enact both the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to protect the fundamental right to vote against new voter suppression and discrimination laws and to protect against corruption of our government and […]
Enclosed for your information is a piece by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer entitled “The Fight for Voting Rights and Anti-Corruption Legislation Goes On,” which was published in Medium and originally released in Wertheimer’s Political Report on June 24, 2021. Read the full piece here or below. The Fight for Voting Rights and Anti-Corruption Legislation […]
FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | June 24, 2021 “The legislative process is complex and unwinds slowly. It requires patience, not prognostications, to determine whether legislation ultimately will pass.” To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the For the People Act’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Following Senator Joe Manchin’s June 6 op-ed stating he would […]
The Filibuster Rules Are Not Sacred – Just Ask Joe Manchin. Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) brought up the For the People Act in an attempt to begin debate on a crucial piece of legislation that will protect voting rights, get big money out of politics and end partisan gerrymandering. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans […]
Senator Manchin Previously Voted to Eliminate the Filibuster on Motions to Begin Debate on Legislation, Like the For the People Act On January 27, 2011, Senator Joe Manchin cosponsored and voted for S. Res. 10 to eliminate the ability to filibuster motions to begin debate on legislation, like the For the People Act. S. Res. […]
In Their Own Words: The Candidates Empowered by the Small Donor Revolution In anticipation of tomorrow’s vote to proceed on S. 1, the For the People Act, Democracy 21, in partnership with People for the American Way (PFAW) and the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition (DFAD), will be releasing a series of videos of women […]
Support For Small Donor Financing Has Long and Deep Roots Among Senate Democrats, Must Be Kept In S. 1 Last week, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) expressed a willingness to support a revised version of S. 1, the For the People Act – legislation which currently includes a small donor-based public financing system that will help […]
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