ATLANTA — Today, less than an hour after its final passage by the Arizona State Senate, Governor Doug Ducey rushed to sign SB 1485, a devastating anti-voter bill which could remove over 125,000 voters from Arizona’s highly popular Permanent Early Voting List, including over 30,000 Latino voters alone. This bill threatens the freedom to vote for thousands of Arizonans, and represents nothing less than a direct attack on the core principles of our democracy.
The newly signed SB 1485 is one of over 400 proposed anti-voter bills in state legislatures across the country, as our nation endures the worst assault on the right to vote since Jim Crow. It is a blatant and wide-ranging assault on democracy and on voting rights in 48 states that spans from Arizona to New Hampshire, and from Michigan to Texas to Georgia.
With the early passage and signing of SB 202 in Georgia and the signing of SB 90 in Florida, the Arizona legislature’s passage and Governor Ducey’s signing today of SB 1485 is yet another installment in Republican attacks on voting rights. Texas is poised to follow suit with the anti-voter omnibus bill SB 7, and Republicans in state legislatures across the nation are rushing to pass bills like these that would silence, criminalize, and intimidate voters.
This coordinated attack on Americans’ freedom to vote demands that Congress respond urgently with federal action to protect voting rights for all eligible voters. Congress must pass both the For The People Act, as well as the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. It is imperative that swift federal action be taken to counteract Republican efforts to undermine our democracy.
This moment also demands that all stakeholders use their voices and platforms to support federal action to protect Americans’ freedom to vote. From voters to business leaders, now is the time for all to speak out against these relentless attacks and demand that Congress pass the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. Anyone who wants to get involved can visit StopJimCrow2.com.
There is no time to waste, and as the passage of laws in Georgia, Florida, Arizona, and several states across the nation have clearly shown, now is the time for decisive action from Congress to protect the right to vote and to protect our very democracy itself.
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