Group calls on Senators Manchin and Sinema to stand on the right side of history, heed the calls of their constituents, and deliver critical voting rights legislation
ATLANTA — Fair Fight Action—the national voting rights organization founded by Stacey Abrams—today released a statement responding to the passage of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The group applauded Speaker Pelosi and voting rights champions in the House for taking desperately needed action to pass critical legislation, and called on Senators—specifically Sens. Manchin and Sinema—to pass the bill immediately.
The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act will ensure that voters can safely and freely cast their ballots, protect against election sabotage including by increasing protections around election certification, and stop partisan gerrymandering.
Fair Fight Action Executive Director Cianti Stewart-Reid released the following statement:
“We applaud Speaker Pelosi and voting rights champions in the U.S. House of Representatives for heeding President Biden’s clarion call in Georgia this week, and delivering on the demands of millions of voters across the country who have been calling for federal legislation to protect the freedom to vote. Black and brown voters in Georgia and across the country are looking to Senators to stand on the right side of history by voting yes on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. If Senators fail to pass this critical legislation, they will be failing the nation, and failing our democratic ideals. Senators Manchin and Sinema now face a choice: Stand on the right side of history, or choose to permit an avalanche that will erode our democracy. State legislatures continue to pass extreme anti-voting bills by simple majority; the Senate must meet its promise to serve the American people by mitigating these harmful measures. Senators have the power—and the responsibility—to lead. We cannot allow the voices of millions of voters to be silenced. The Senate must be restored.”
Following record-breaking voter turnout in 2020 and 2021 Republicans in state legislatures across the country have brazenly worked to push through anti-voting legislation, and openly continue their attempts to take over local control of elections. This includes Georgia, where Republicans in the legislature passed omnibus anti-voting bill SB 202 last year and are currently considering new legislation that would completely ban the use of drop boxes.
In states across the country, Republican lawmakers are hard at work attacking our freedom to vote, using partisan gerrymandering to draw congressional districts that deny people fair representation, and creating conditions that permit them to engage in future election sabotage. In 2021 alone, 34 laws in 19 different states were enacted that restrict access to the ballot box.
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