By Tiffany Muller
April 28, 2021
(Kansas City Star) – Last week, Gov. Laura Kelly rightly vetoed two bills that would erect barriers to voting for Kansans across the state, particularly for communities of color. The Legislature pushed these bills through in spite of reports from Secretary of State Scott Schwab that Kansas had a “free and fair” election last year. While the governor’s veto is a welcome step, it doesn’t prevent the Legislature from moving more voter suppression bills forward or make the need for federal action to protect the right to vote any less critical.
Right now, there are at least 361 bills in 47 states that have been introduced to restrict access to voting. Fifty-five of them have begun to advance. Five states have already passed them into law. The push to pass these voter suppression bills — in Kansas and around the country — are funded by and coordinated with a web of shady dark money groups.
This nationwide assault on voting rights underscores the urgent need for the U.S. Senate to pass the For the People Act, which protects all Americans’ freedom and right to vote. The For the People Act is a critical package of voting rights and anti-corruption reforms. It would limit the influence of big money in politics and end dark money so billionaires and corporate special interests can’t buy elections. It would end gerrymandering, put ironclad ethics laws in place and protect voters’ access to the ballot.
The true purpose of the bills passed by the Kansas legislature is undeniable, simple and clear: to block certain voters from casting a ballot. They don’t reflect Kansas values to treat everyone equally. From seeking to strip the executive and judicial branches of any authority over elections to making it more difficult to vote by mail, these bills were an attempt by self-serving politicians to cement their power and block voting access.
Now, the Senate has a chance to reaffirm and protect our freedom to vote and stop any further voter suppression efforts in Kansas and in states across the country. The popular, commonsense reforms of the For the People Act are unifying and would benefit all Kansans, whether they supported Joe Biden or Donald Trump.
Thanks to the leadership of U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who has been outspoken and at the forefront of the fight in Congress to take on corruption and protect the right to vote, the House of Representatives passed the bill in March. It now must pass in the Senate.
Although some members of the Kansas Legislature opposed the For the People Act, they are out of step with the American people. Some 83% of Americans — including 3 out of every 4 Republicans — support the bill. Even Washington Republicans have acknowledged the overwhelming bipartisan popularity of the bill behind closed doors, as revealed by a recently released secret recording with dark money groups.
It’s urgent that the For the People Act is passed into law.
We can stop billionaires and big corporations from buying elections and make small donors the most powerful force in campaigns, so Washington works for the people, not just the special interests.
We can ensure safe, accessible, accurate elections that are protected from foreign interference.
We can end partisan gerrymandering to make sure that politicians aren’t manipulating maps to choose their voters instead of voters choosing their leaders.
We can strengthen ethics laws to hold politicians accountable.
And by protecting the freedom to vote equally across the country, we can meet our national value of one person, one vote.
These proposals would make government responsive to the people and crack down on corruption in both parties so we can make progress on the issues important to Kansas families, like health care, prescription drug costs and an economy that works for everyone — not just those on top. They would bring transparency and accountability and take us a major step toward creating a more perfect union that is governed of, for and by the people.
Tiffany Muller is president of the 501(c)(4) nonprofit End Citizens United/Let America Vote Action Fund. She co-authored this with Jason Kander, founder of the 527 group Let America Vote and president of Veterans Community Project.