D21 Applauds Senate Introduction Of The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer
Democracy 21 applauds the Senate introduction today of the essential John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, led by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).
A foundational principle of our democracy is that every eligible citizen has the right to vote and to have their vote counted properly. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would protect the sacred right to vote for all eligible citizens – a fundamental right in our democracy.
The Voting Rights Act, first enacted in 1965 and reenacted over the years, served for decades to make the right to vote a reality in states and communities where this right had been denied or undermined. Beginning in 2013, Supreme Court decisions have severely undermined the Act.
Voters of color, Native American voters, voters with disabilities, college students, and the elderly are being disproportionately impacted by voter suppression laws that have been passed in numerous states. These laws represent the greatest voter suppression effort in the United States since the Jim Crow era. And, what impacts one voter, impacts each of us.
The John Lewis voting Rights Advancement Act would restore and protect the safeguards in the Voting Rights Act and help override voter suppression efforts in the states that are undermining our democracy.
“The vote is precious. It is almost sacred,” Representative Lewis, the late civil rights champion, once said. “It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.”
While there will be no action on this vital legislation in this Congress, action on the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act should be the first order of business when the 119th Congress convenes next year.
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