The Hill highlights Abrams’ backing of new voting rights legislation as polling shows Americans strongly support provisions in the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
ATLANTA — Today, Fair Fight Action Chair Stacey Abrams announced her support for the newly released Senate voting rights legislation, the Freedom to Vote Act. In her exclusive statement to The Hill, Abrams commended senators who worked together to craft the bill and called for quick passage of the legislation along with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Abrams also noted the strong public support for the provisions of the legislation, evidenced by recent polling showing that proposals in these voting rights bills have overwhelming support.
Abrams’ full statement can be found below:
“The Freedom to Vote Act has my strong support. The bill takes the necessary steps to protect our democracy and sets national standards for voting access for every eligible American regardless of zip code. I am confident the bill will advance the shared objectives Fair Fight Action, civil rights organizations, allies and activists across the country have worked so hard to achieve. The provisions of this legislation are overwhelmingly supported by the American people across party lines, and Senators must respond to the demands of their constituents by supporting it. I commend Senator Manchin and the other working group members Senators Kaine, King, Klobuchar, Merkley, Padilla, Tester and Warnock along with Leader Schumer and Senator Ossoff for their determination to move these critical protections forward, and I urge the bill’s swift passage along with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.”
Read more about Abrams’ support for the Freedom to Vote Act here:
The Hill: Stacey Abrams backs Senate Democrats’ voting rights compromise
By Max Greenwood
September 14, 2021
- Stacey Abrams gave her blessing on Tuesday to a compromise version of Democrats’ wide-ranging voting rights bill, putting the weight of one of the country’s most influential voting rights activists behind the legislation.
- In a statement shared first with The Hill, Abrams said the bill, the Freedom to Vote Act, “takes the necessary steps to protect our democracy and “sets national standards for voting access for every eligible American regardless of zip code,” adding that the legislation has her “strong support.”
- “I am confident the bill will advance the shared objectives Fair Fight Action, civil rights organizations, allies and activists across the country have worked so hard to achieve,” she said, referencing the voting rights organization Abrams established after her unsuccessful 2018 Democratic campaign for Georgia governor.
- The newest version of the bill was crafted by a group of senators including Manchin, virtually ensuring that it will have the support of all 50 Senate Democrats.
- Abrams congratulated Manchin and the rest of the working group on Tuesday, calling on lawmakers to move quickly to approve the bill, as well as another piece of voting rights legislation, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would restore key provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
- “I commend Senator Manchin and the other working group members Senators Kaine, King, Klobuchar, Merkley, Padilla, Tester and Warnock along with Leader Schumer and Senator Ossoff for their determination to move these critical protections forward, and I urge the bill’s swift passage along with the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act,” Abrams said.
###
