S. 1, The For The People Act, Introduced In The Senate Today
The For the People Act is being introduced as S. 1 in the Senate today. This follows the passage of the For the People Act as H.R. 1 by the House on March 3.
Democracy 21 applauds and thanks Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Jeff Merkley, and Senate Rules Committee Chair Amy Klobuchar for the critical national leadership they are providing on this historic democracy reform legislation.
Democracy 21 also applauds and thanks the 49 Senators who, in sponsoring this comprehensive reform legislation, have recognized the urgent need to address a series of fundamental problems in order to fix our broken political system and repair our democracy.
The problems addressed in S. 1 include Washington political money corruption, voter suppression and disenfranchisement, extreme partisan gerrymandering, government ethics and self-dealing abuses, election security, and foreign interference in our elections.
Voting is a sacred right.
The efforts being pursued in many state legislatures to suppress voting and disenfranchise voters, particularly voters of color, would take the country back to the Jim Crow era.
The voting rights provisions in S. 1 would supersede new state laws that seek to suppress or burden the right to vote. They include: no excuse voting by mail, early voting requirements, and other key provisions to make it easy and safe for every eligible citizen to vote
Congress is dominated today by campaign money from influence-seeking billionaires, millionaires, lobbyists, business executives, dark money nonprofits, Super PACs, and special interest PACs. S. 1 provides an alternative way for federal candidates to finance their campaigns that frees them from being obligated to big money funders. S. 1 also ends dark money in federal elections and requires spenders on internet campaign-related ads to identify themselves
Extreme partisan gerrymandering deprives citizens of fair congressional elections and favors whichever party controls a state legislature. S. 1 establishes nonpartisan redistricting commissions and establishes criteria for fair redistricting.
The Senate needs to act on S.1 in a timely manner to ensure that it becomes effective for the 2022 congressional elections.
###
