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john sarbanes
'Our Democracy Demands It': Rights Groups Cheer as Dems Revive Freedom to Vote Act
"We are in dangerous territory," warned one activist. "We must enshrine our democratic freedoms in federal legislation that would blunt the multipronged attacks on our democracy."
Jul 18, 2023
Democracy defenders on Tuesday applauded as Democratic leaders from both chambers of Congress came together to reintroduce the Freedom to Vote Act, which aims to improve voter access and electoral administration, boost election integrity, and increase civic participation and empowerment.
"Today’s introduction of the Freedom to Vote Act is the first step to injecting a renewed commitment to democratic principles," said Christine Wood and Allison Pulliam, co-directors of the Declaration for American Democracy coalition. "We believe every eligible voter should have their vote counted, every candidate should be able to run without caving in to big influence and big money, and every elected official should be beholden to constituents first."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) joined the bill's sponsors—Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.)—and other Democrats for a Tuesday press conference, during which they condemned MAGA Republicans' attacks on U.S. democracy.
"These attacks demand a federal response," said Klobuchar. "The Freedom to Vote Act will set basic national standards to make sure all Americans can cast their ballots in the way that works best for them, regardless of what ZIP code they live in. This bill will ensure Americans can request a mail-in ballot and have access to drop boxes, have at least two weeks of early voting, and can register to vote on Election Day."
"It's past time for Congress to act and protect Americans' freedom to vote."
While the bill is unlikely to reach the desk of President Joe Biden—who is running for reelection—during this term, given the GOP-controlled House and divided Senate hamstrung by the filibuster, campaigners echoed Democrats' assertions of the need for the bill's reforms.
"It has been 10 years since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted voting rights, and two years since a president attempted to overturn the will of voters to remain in power," noted Public Citizen executive vice president Lisa Gilbert—calling out former President Donald Trump, who is seeking the GOP's 2024 nomination despite inciting the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
"Between the Shelby v. Holder decision and extremists in Congress and state houses—supported by wealthy interests who don't want democracy—we are in dangerous territory," Gilbert warned. "We must enshrine our democratic freedoms in federal legislation that would blunt the multipronged attacks on our democracy."
Stand Up America founder and president Sean Eldridge agreed, declaring that "it's past time for Congress to act and protect Americans' freedom to vote. As MAGA Republicans continue to erect barriers to the ballot box, particularly for communities of color, we need national standards to ensure voting access for every American, no matter where they live."
Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter, said that "the reintroduction of the Freedom to Vote Act is essential to overcoming the obstacles of new voter suppression laws we see taking shape every day in states like Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. In addition to the wave of voter suppression laws seen in 2021 and 2022, this year has seen hundreds of additional voter suppression bills attempted, and at least 11 states have passed such restrictions."
"Just yesterday, lawmakers in Alabama voted to advance a new congressional map that does not include a second majority-Black district, completely ignoring the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that mandates the state's maps must include this majority-Black district," he pointed out. "The fight for our rights is playing out on the state level and continues to permeate our daily lives in the South. That is why national legislation that is pro-voter and anti-corruption is absolutely necessary at this moment in history."
A coalition of climate and environmental groups—Clean Water Action, Climate Hawks Vote, Earthjustice, Endangered Species Coalition, Greenpeace USA, Interfaith Power & Light, League of Conservation Voters, National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice—also celebrated the bill's reintroduction.
"While we recognize that our democracy has never truly worked for all Americans, the Freedom to Vote Act will help move us closer to the mountaintop, where every American has equitable access to the ballot, and a brighter light will shine on the fossil fuel billionaires and corporations who pour big money into anti-environmental politicians and misleading ads hampering our ability to combat the climate crisis," the coalition said.
Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center and a Republican former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, highlighted that "the aims of the Freedom to Vote Act—prohibiting partisan gerrymandering, protecting the freedom to vote, and increasing the transparency of money spent in federal elections—are supported by a significant majority of Americans, regardless of party."
While opposition to the Freedom to Vote Act has mostly come from GOP lawmakers, some Democrats have helped block it. Early last year, Democratic right-wing Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), who is suspected of considering a 2024 presidential run, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), who switched from Democrat to Independent in December, teamed up with Republicans to kill a proposed change to the Senate filibuster that would have cleared the way for passing a voting rights package.
At the time, lawmakers were fighting to pass a megabill that included not only the Freedom to Vote Act but also the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, legislation named for a late Democratic congressman and civil rights icon. Some campaigners also emphasized the importance of the latter on Tuesday.
"Along with the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act's protections against racial discrimination, the Freedom to Vote Act has the best solutions available to strengthen our democracy for all," asserted Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law. "Congress must advance the Freedom to Vote Act. Our democracy demands it."
Leslie Proll, senior director of the voting rights program at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, similarly stressed the importance of both bills.
"We urge both chambers of Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act so we can build a multiracial democracy that works for all of us," said Proll. "We also look forward to Congress reintroducing and passing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act."
Common Cause interim co-president Marilyn Carpinteyro on Tuesday sent a letter to all members of Congress on behalf of her group and its more than 1.5 million members and supporters "in strong support of the Freedom to Vote Act and in strong opposition to the 'American Confidence in Elections' (ACE) Act," which was introduced by House Republicans earlier this month.
"The ACE Act is a giant step backward and would silence the voices of everyday Americans by putting up barriers to voting and by allowing millions of dollars more in secret money to infiltrate our political system," Carpinteyro wrote. "To strengthen free and fair elections and help get big, secret money out of politics, Congress must instead pass the Freedom to Vote Act."
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Reintroduced 'For the People Act' Praised for Its Potential to Bring Sweeping Democracy Reforms
"About damn time."
Jan 04, 2021
Progressive groups this week are welcoming the reintroduction in the U.S. House of the For the People Act and heaping praise on the proposed legislative package's potential for sweeping democracy reforms in the face of relentless Republican Party hostility towards election protections and voting rights.
"It has become clear that we must shore up the defenses of our democracy by expanding access to the franchise, empowering the voices of everyday Americans in our elections, and upholding strong ethical standards in government. H.R. 1 contains reforms that address all three pillars," Common Cause president Karen Hobert Flynn said in a statement Monday.
\u201cHR1, which Congress just reintroduced, includes:\n\n-Automatic voter registration\n\n-A ban on gerrymandering\n\n-Public financing of elections\n\n-Support for DC statehood\n\n-Plans to restore the Voting Rights Act\n\n-A requirement that presidents disclose tax returns\n\nAbout damn time.\u201d— Public Citizen (@Public Citizen) 1609804365
Democrats Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.), along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Zoe Lofgren, both of California, introduced the legislation, H.R. 1, on Monday. It came a year to the day after Sarbanes introduced the measure--described by one advocate as "a no-brainer for anyone who actually cares about American democracy"--in the last Congress.
In a joint statement Monday, the lawmakers put the measure within the context of President Donald Trump- and GOP-backed efforts to thwart access to the polls.
"During the 2020 election, Americans had to overcome rampant voter suppression, gerrymandering, and a torrent of special interest dark money just to exercise their right to vote," the lawmakers said.
"Across the country, people of all political persuasions--including Democrats, Independents, and Republicans--are profoundly frustrated with the chaos, corruption, and inaction that plague much of our politics," the Democrats continued, calling H.R.1 a "historic reform effort" that could "clean up decades of dysfunction in Washington, return power to the people, and build a more just, equitable, and prosperous country for all Americans."
Democracy 21 president Fred Wertheimer similarly framed H.R. 1, and urged members of Congress to pass the measure.
"President Trump's repeated attacks on the legitimacy of the election results and his unprecedented attacks on our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power demonstrate the urgency of moving quickly to enact H.R. 1," said Wertheimer.
"The 2020 elections saw billions of dollars in unlimited and often secret contributions provided by influence-seeking funders to support federal candidates," he continued. "The elections saw voting rights abuses that suppressed the sacred right to vote, particularly of people of color, and that interfered with the ability to vote successfully in person and by mail."
As detailed in a fact sheet from Sarbanes's office, H.R. 1 would boost "clean and fair elections" through measures such as automatic voter registration, banning "voter roll purges like those seen in Ohio, Georgia, and elsewhere," and simplifying voting by mail; ending "the dominance of big money in our politics" by exposing so-called dark money in politics and enforcing of campaign finance laws; and making sure "public servants work for the public interest" by taking actions including limiting the revolving door between Capitol Hill and corporate America and overhauling the Office of Government Ethics.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic triggered some democracy-strengthening changes over the past year such as increased voting by mail, said LaShawn Warren, executive vice president of government affairs at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, but such changes may not be permanent. What's more, he added, "Far too many voters continue to face challenges and more reforms are needed."
A helpful pathway to such reforms is the For the People Act, said Warren, calling it "a significant step forward for transforming our democracy by expanding access to voting, taking big money out of politics, and cleaning up corruption in government."
"H.R. 1, together with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act that restores the critical protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act stripped away in 2013, will move us closer to ending discriminatory voting practices against communities of color," Warren continued. "Our democracy works best when everyone participates, and Congress must pass both bills to ensure that everyone can."
Trevor Potter, president of Campaign Legal Center, and former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), similarly urged Congress to take action.
"The House of Representatives has already previously passed the bill, in the last session, and once it has done so again the Senate should take it up and approve it," said Potter. "When that has occurred, President-elect Joe Biden should sign it into law after he is sworn in as president, to create a truer, fairer, and more accessible democracy for all people."
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