John,

The most crucial part of a functioning democracy is the right to vote. Numerous everyday people fought, protested, and died for that right and the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was the culmination of dreams fulfilled.

That dream turned into a nightmare in 2013 when — in the case of Shelby v. Holder — the Supreme Court gutted crucial sections of the Voting Rights Act and opened the floodgates for states to pass severe voter suppression laws.

More than 900 anti-voter bills were introduced between 2021 and 2023, with 81 being signed into law.^1,2,3 For 2024, at least 140 voter suppression bills are up for consideration in 25 states.⁴

American democracy only works if everyone is able to vote—regardless of their race, religion, or socioeconomic status. Add your name to tell Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965 now.

There are currently two pieces of critical legislation Congress needs to pass to update the original protections that were in the Voting Rights Act of 1965: the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. These laws propose establishing nationwide voting standards to improve ballot access, eliminate both partisan and race-based redistricting, shield elections from external influences, and enhance campaign finance transparency to deter the influence of undisclosed donations, among other measures.

We know that voter suppression laws don’t impact everyone equally. These laws disproportionately suppress voter turnout from the most marginalized communities—communities of color, low-income communities, LGBTQ+ communities, and rural communities. These anti-democracy laws are a reaction to the historic, multiracial voter turnout we witnessed in the 2020 presidential election and the 2021 and 2022 Georgia Senate runoff elections.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would require jurisdictions with a history of voting discrimination to receive preclearance from the Department of Justice or a federal court before changing any voting laws and would have to allow voters to sue over gerrymandered maps that dilute the political power of communities of color. It also includes the Native American Voting Rights Act, which protects the rights of Native people who face unique barriers to voting due to living on reservations.⁵

Equal opportunity to participate in our democracy and to vote is fundamental to its health and integrity. Congress has a duty to uphold the freedom to vote by passing these bills, thereby reinforcing and expanding the Voting Rights Act's protections.

Join us in calling on Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Voting Laws Roundup: December 2021
² Voting Laws Roundup: December 2022
³ Voting Laws Roundup: October 2023
⁴ State Voting Laws
⁵ FACT SHEET: The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act