After leading the charge to introduce over 400 restrictive voting bills this year and pass 33 of those bills into law in 19 different states, self-serving Republican politicians across the country are getting ready to introduce and enact even more anti-voter laws in 2022. Meanwhile, the impact of Georgia’s anti-voting law is now being felt as GOP officials move to take control of county election boards away from local officials.
In a new NY Times report, Republican-led states are openly plotting to pass more laws that restrict access to the ballot box and make it easier to sabotage our elections. Specifically, in Florida, Republicans are getting ready to pass a bill that will open the door to voter intimidation and election sabotage, while GOP politicians in New Hampshire are trying to undermine faith in our democracy and limit young voters’ ability to cast a vote.
In Georgia, Republicans are taking control of county election boards away from trusted local officials, putting in place their partisan political allieswho are threatening to only count votes and election results that they like. These Republicans are taking advantage of Georgia’s new anti-voter law passed earlier this year to specifically target Black officials and replace them with corrupt, partisan politicians who have already put up barriers that have kept people from voting.
In Utah, a shady dark-money group is backing a ballot initiative that would make it harder for voters to access the ballot box and make their voices heard on the issues that matter most to them. The proposed ballot initiative would almost completely end mail-in voting, absentee ballots, and early voting. Utah has been an all-mail-in-voting state since 2012 with great success.
In Michigan, self-serving political operatives are attempting to go around the will of the people and Governor Whitmer’s veto by using a loophole to enact anti-voter measures with support from only a small percentage of Michigan residents.
In Pennsylvania, GOP politicians in the state legislature unveiled their proposed congressional map, which was drawn with the sole intent of stacking the deck in their favor as part of a partisan power grab that denies voters fair representation.
To counter these radical anti-voter tactics, the U.S. Senate must quickly pass the Freedom to Vote Act, a commonsense anti-corruption and voting rights bill that would protect access to the ballot box, stop partisan gerrymandering, end dark money, and protect our elections from sabotage, ensuring trusted local officials can count every vote and voters are safe from intimidation. Passing this bill would ensure voters are able hold their representatives accountable and have fair and equal representation in Congress so that they have a voice on important issues like healthcare and recovering from the pandemic. The Senate must do whatever it takes to get the Freedom to Vote Act passed and cannot allow procedure or loopholes stand in the way.
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