Democracy 21 Urges House To Vote For H.R. 4, The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act

Democracy 21 today strongly urged Representatives to vote for passage of H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, when it comes to the floor for a vote.

“H.R. 4 is a vitally important – and urgently needed – step forward in the work to protect the sacred right to vote for all eligible citizens,” Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer wrote in a letter to Representatives.

“Today, millions of Black, brown, other minorities, the disabled, elderly, and young, are at risk of losing their ability to vote due to voter suppression laws being passed in numerous states. These efforts, if not overridden, will represent the greatest voter suppression in the United States since the Jim Crow era.”

Wertheimer continued: “Voting is not a privilege, it is a right. It is incumbent that Congress act now as the right to vote is being severely threatened in states around the country.”

According to the letter, “The passage of H.R. 4 and H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which the House passed in March, are essential if we are to protect the right to vote in federal elections for all eligible citizens. The two bills protect the right to vote in complementary ways and both must be enacted.”

Read the full letter below or here.

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August 24, 2021

Dear Representative,

Democracy 21 strongly urges you to vote for passage of H.R. 4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, when it comes to the floor for a vote.

H.R. 4 is a vitally important – and urgently needed – step forward in the work to protect the sacred right to vote for all eligible citizens.

Today, millions of Black, brown, other minorities, the disabled, elderly, and young, are at risk of losing their ability to vote due to voter suppression laws being passed in numerous states.

These efforts, if not overridden, will represent the greatest voter suppression in the United States since the Jim Crow era.

H.R. 4 will restore the preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and would modernize the formula for determining which states have a pattern of discrimination and would fall under the preclearance provision.

Voting is not a privilege, it is a right. It is incumbent that Congress act now as the right to vote is being severely threatened in states around the country.

The passage of H.R. 4 and H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which the House passed in March, are essential if we are to protect the right to vote in federal elections for all eligible citizens. The two bills protect the right to vote in complementary ways and both must be enacted.

“The vote is precious. It is almost sacred,” the late Representative John Lewis, the civil rights champion, once said. “It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.”

Democracy 21 strongly urges you to vote for H.R. 4.

Our democracy deserves nothing less.

 

Sincerely,

Fred Wertheimer

President