Hey John, 

It’s been five years since the late Congressman John Lewis passed away. 

Whether in his capacity as a citizen or as a public official, he was committed to using power for good. He never yielded in the pursuit of justice and equality.

As Attorney General Eric Holder has said, Congressman Lewis “helped to destroy a system of American apartheid and raise a better nation from its rubble” — and “nowhere was his dedication clearer than in his determination to secure the still-unmet promise of our nation: the right to vote.”

Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., Congressman John Lewis, and Dr. Sharon Malone (the wife of A.G. Holder) in the A.G.’s office. (April 2015)

That fight suffered a severe setback from the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in the Shelby County case, which nullified Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, taking away key protections and making it easier for states to make voting harder — particularly for people of color.

But Congressman Lewis wouldn’t take a setback as the last word. He fought for legislation to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act’s protections, and the bill was renamed in his honor after his passing.

Reintroduced earlier this year, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would:

• Require jurisdictions with a record of voter discrimination to get federal approval before making changes to election law, including redistricting plans
• Strengthen Section 2 of the VRA so voters are fully empowered to challenge voting laws with discriminatory effects in court
• Hold jurisdictions accountable for policy changes that limit access to the ballot for voters of color

Now it’s on all of us to continue Congressman Lewis’ march. As he once said: 

"Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society."

The strength of our democracy depends on us, and access to the ballot is at the core of our power as people. 

In honor of the late Congressman Lewis’s life and legacy, add your name to say that Congress must pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act — so we can live up to America’s full promise of freedom. Sign on now.

In solidarity,

NDR PAC Team