SENATE DEMOCRATS REINTRODUCE CRITICAL VOTING RIGHTS BILL AHEAD OF 59TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY SUNDAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FEBRUARY 29, 2024
PRESS CONTACT:
Sarah Harris, [email protected]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) led the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in reintroducing the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, legislation to restore and strengthen the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act (VRA). For 50 years, the VRA stood as a pillar protecting communities from anti-voter and discriminatory voting laws until the Supreme Court gutted the VRA in 2013, with Shelby County v. Holder.
Since then, millions of voters have been purged from voter rolls, strict voter ID laws have been enacted in many states, and thousands of voting locations have been closed. In fact, states have added nearly 100 restrictive voting laws since the 2013 decision. The Senate reintroduction comes just days before the 59th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965.
Stand Up America Executive Director Christina Harvey released the following statement after the introduction:
“Fifty-nine years after Bloody Sunday, anti-democratic politicians across the country are still erecting barriers to the ballot box aimed at voters of color. They’ve been empowered and emboldened to do so by a right-wing Supreme Court that has systematically chipped away at the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“The relentless barrage of attacks by anti-democratic politicians is making it more difficult for everyday Americans to exercise their fundamental freedom to vote. Since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, millions of voters have been purged from the rolls and thousands of voting locations closed across the country. These attacks on our freedom to vote underscore the urgent need to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act.
“We are grateful to Senators Warnock and Durbin for their efforts to restore this landmark legislation, and our millions of members across the country are ready to do whatever they can to move this legislation forward.”
Stand Up America’s nearly 2 million members across the country have driven over 125,000 constituent calls and nearly 85,000 emails to Congress, and submitted nearly 10,000 letters to the editors of local newspapers, in support of passing federal voting rights legislation.
To speak with a Stand Up America representative about their work to pass federal voting rights, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected].
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About Stand Up America
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with nearly 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 1.7 million calls to lawmakers, registered over 100,000 voters, mobilized thousands of protestors, and contacted tens of millions of voters.
Website: StandUpAmerica.com
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