Senate Democrats Must Urgently Follow House’s Lead and Pass Voting Rights Legislation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
AUGUST 24, 2021

PRESS CONTACT:
Anushka Sarkar, Stand Up America
[email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House of Representatives passed the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in a 219-212 vote. Now, the Senate must follow its lead and urgently pass crucial voting legislation, including the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. To do so, Senate Democrats must reform the Jim Crow filibuster standing between the American people and a fair & functioning democracy.

Stand Up America Founder & President Sean Eldridge responded to today’s vote:

“Today, the House took a crucial step toward strengthening and protecting the freedom to vote—now, the Senate must take up the mantle and refuse to let the Jim Crow filibuster stand in the way of a fair & functioning democracy.

Anti-democratic actors are attacking voting rights at every level of government, and because of these attacks, the Voting Rights Act no longer sufficiently defends the freedom to vote. This year alone, 18 states have passed 30 bills to make it more difficult for eligible Americans, particularly Black and brown Americans, to access the ballot box. To protect every American’s freedom to vote, we need the Senate to end the filibuster and pass both the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the For the People Act. That is the only way to ensure that every vote counts and every eligible voter can make their voice heard.”

Earlier this month, Stand Up America, in coalition with several national progressive groups and civil rights leaders, delivered a petition with more than 400,000 signatures to President Biden calling on the president to use the power of his office to publicly urge the Senate to end the filibuster and pass crucial voting rights legislation. This powerful coalition of advocates will continue pressuring lawmakers from Capitol Hill to the Oval Office to bring an end to the attacks on our democracy and protect the freedom to vote for all.

# # #

About Stand Up America
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with over two million community members across the country. Focused on grassroots advocacy to stand up to corruption and voter suppression and build a more representative democracy, Stand Up America has driven over 1.6 million calls to lawmakers, registered tens of thousands of voters, mobilized thousands of protestors, and contacted tens of millions of voters.

Website: StandUpAmerica.com
Twitter: @StandUpAmerica
Instagram: @StandUp_America
Facebook: @StandUpAmerica