John, when President Biden paid tribute to the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis during his State of the Union address, Speaker Mike Johnson stood up and clapped.
But right now, Speaker Johnson is blocking legislation to follow through on Rep. Lewis's life’s work of protecting the right to vote for all. That’s why President Biden called for action in his address:
Tell Speaker Johnson and Congressional Republicans: We don’t need your applause, we need your ACTION! Pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to TRULY honor Rep. John Lewis’s legacy.
When Rep. John Lewis, Bettie Mae Fikes, and other civil rights heroes marched in Selma on Bloody Sunday, they helped “shake the nation’s conscience” and get the Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed into law. [1]
But anti-voter politicians have been hard at work trying to undo their legacy – with strict voter ID, rollbacks of mail-in voting, and even purges of eligible voters from the voter rolls.
Why? Because when the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in 2013, it gave these hyper-partisan politicians a green light to pass unjust, racist, anti-voter bills through state legislatures.
And this has led to a shocking fact: the gap in voter turnout between white voters and voters of color has grown in the decade since the Supreme Court weakened the VRA, especially in states and communities that the VRA protected. [2]
We can restore the Voting Rights Act’s crucial protections – and ensure our democracy lives up to the legacy of Rep. Lewis and his contemporaries – by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Together, these historic pieces of legislation would:
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Restore and modernize the comprehensive protections initially established by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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Ban gerrymandering so politicians can’t draw rigged maps.
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Guarantee popular voting options like early voting, automatic voter registration, and vote-by-mail in all 50 states.
John, I hope you agree – it’s time for more than just talk. Tell Speaker Johnson and Congressional Republicans: honor Rep. John Lewis’s legacy by passing these crucial federal voter protections.
Together, we can ensure EVERY voter can make their voice heard in our democracy.
Thanks for all you do,
Aaron Scherb, Senior Director of Legislative Affairs
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/03/07/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-prepared-for-delivery-2/
[2] https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/growing-racial-disparities-voter-turnout-2008-2022
