Ahead of the U.S. Senate vote on the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund President Tiffany Muller released the following statement calling for passage of the bill:
“The freedom to vote is under attack with an intensity we haven’t seen since the Jim Crow era. Following the Supreme Court’s Shelby v. Holder decision in 2013, self-serving politicians and dark money groups immediately began passing laws that restrict voting, especially for voters of color. That assault on the freedom to vote has intensified since then, and this year alone, there have been 33 anti-voter laws passed in 19 states that will restrict access to the ballot box. In July, the extremist-majority on the Supreme Court further weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“As Senator Warnock said when this bill was introduced, had the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act been in place, many of these new restrictive voting laws would not be allowed to go into effect. To ensure that voters are protected from future attacks on their freedom to vote, the Senate must do whatever it takes to pass this bill and cannot allow loopholes or procedure to stand in the way.
“The late Congressman John R. Lewis dedicated his life to fighting for the freedom to vote, from his historic march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to fighting against targeted efforts to restrict access to the ballot in predominantly Black communities. To properly honor his legacy – and to live up to its moral duty – the Senate must pass this vitally important bill to safeguard every American’s freedom to vote.”
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