Add your name: No fairly elected leader should be silenced for engaging in the dissent and debate they are elected to engage in.
John, Montana House Republicans just voted along party lines to permanently ban Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a trans House representative, from speaking until next term – a disturbing, authoritarian decision to overrule voters and stifle dissent.
And it’s not just happening in Montana. In states like Tennessee, Georgia, and Nebraska, duly elected public officials have been targeted for merely doing their jobs: speaking up for their constituents.
This isn’t what is supposed to happen in a democracy. It’s what happens in an authoritarian state – where anyone who opposes the ruling party is punished for the mere act of speaking out. That can’t, and won’t happen here in America.
We won’t tolerate this. We MUST send a clear message to lawmakers nationwide that We the People – not legislative leaders – have the right to choose our leaders. Add your name to condemn this outrageous anti-voter injustice >>
Earlier this month, the Tennessee House voted to expel two Black legislators, Reps. Pearson and Jones, for speaking out for gun safety laws, while a white colleague who did the same was allowed to remain in office.
In Georgia, legislators have passed a bill that gives them the power to remove Fulton County’s District Attorney, Fani Willis, over her investigation into Trump’s demands to “find” votes to overturn the election in the state.
Now, after refusing to recognize her for an entire week, the Montana House voted to bar Rep. Zooey Zephyr from speaking or voting on the House floor for the rest of the legislative session – after extremists claimed that her choice to stand with her microphone raised in solidarity with protestors was equivalent to “encouraging an insurrection.”
John, I want to be clear about what we’re up against here: This pattern is an intentional tactic from authoritarian, right-wing extremists who want to silence duly elected officials who dissent – so they can push their own agenda, regardless of what voters want.
And it’s enabled by the extreme gerrymandering and voter suppression that fuel hyper-partisan supermajorities in our states, denying us a meaningful choice at the polls and shutting out the opportunity for real debate.
Our democracy hinges on voters having the right to elect officials who represent us – and on those officials being able to participate in the debate and legislative processes that come with their office.
Expelling legislators for doing what they were elected to do – speak up for policies that their constituents care about – is everything we’ve spent 50 years working against.
This is a fight for core values of our democracy: that voters get to pick their representatives, and that every one of us deserves representation in government. Join me today in condemning the attempts by state legislatures to overrule voters and silence lawmakers for advocating for their constituents.
Our elected officials MUST be allowed to represent us – and participate in the debate and legislative processes that come with their office.
Thanks for all you do,
Viki Harrison, Director of Constitutional Convention & Protect Dissent Program
and the team at Common Cause
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