To Protect Democracy, The Senate Must Pass The For The People Act

The For The People Act is headed towards an epic showdown in the Senate.

Last week, Georgia’s legislature passed a sweeping bill to restrict voting rights following a surge in Black voter turnout in November and January. Under the false claim of “combatting voter fraud,” the new law requires photo ID for absentee ballots, allows state officials to take over local elections boards, limits the use of ballot drop boxes, and criminalizes providing food and water to voters in line. President Biden condemned the law as “Jim Crow in the 21st Century” and “a blatant attack on the Constitution and good conscience.” Many voting rights advocates, including Stacey Abrams, agree, calling the legislation “Jim Crow 2.0.”

Voters in Georgia and across the country spent hours waiting to cast their ballot. (Source: Michael Holahan / Augusta Chronicle)

And sadly, Georgia isn’t alone. According to the Brennan Center, state lawmakers have filed 253 bills that restrict voting access in 43 states as of last month.

Now, it’s up to the Senate to right these wrongs. Call your Senators at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) and urge them to pass the For The People Act (S1).

Remind me what the For The People Act does again?

The For the People Act is a once-in-a-generation package of proven reforms that would:

  • Put ordinary Americans ahead of Big Money donors;
  • Call for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United;
  • Expand and protect voting rights and access to the ballot;
  • End gerrymandering so that electoral districts are fairly drawn; and
  • Combat corruption by holding elected officials to the highest ethical standards.

What’s the latest on S1 in the Senate?

As Georgia pushed through new voter suppression laws, Democrats and Republicans were at loggerheads in the U.S. Senate over a bill that would unrig our democracy. Despite widespread support among citizens to get big money out of politics and make it easier to vote, (including Democrats, independents, and Republicans), Democrats and Republicans in Congress can Democrats are urging the Senate to act swiftly to pass the bill, reigniting the debate on ending the antiquated filibuster. (If filibustered, the For The People Act would need 60 votes to pass, instead of a simple majority.) 

“At its core, the For The People Act is about three simple ideas: making voting easier, getting big money out of politics, and strengthening ethics rules,” Senator Amy Klobuchar, Chair of the Senate Rules Committee, said in a committee meeting last week. “These are not radical proposals. These are ideas that nearly everyone in this country agrees with.”

Despite widespread support among citizens — including Democrats, independents, and Republicans — in the U.S. Senate there is a partisan impasse, reigniting the debate on ending the antiquated filibuster. (If filibustered, the For The People Act would need 60 votes to pass, instead of a simple majority.)

Call your Senators today at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to support the For The People Act (S1). And, as always, keep on stamping!