John,
Today is the 7th anniversary of the terrible Shelby v. Holder Supreme Court decision that completely gutted the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Because of that decision, we’ve seen RAMPANT voter suppression by Republicans targeting Black and Brown voters around the country.
This is SO shameful.
Fortunately, last December the House of Representatives passed the Voting Rights Advancement Act (VRAA), to finally RESTORE the Voting Rights Act and STOP voter suppression!
But the self-described ‘Grim Reaper,’ Mitch McConnell, has been standing in the way ever since.
John, the sad truth is McConnell is simply trying to let his Republican Senators off the hook by preventing them going on record against restoring the basic right to vote.
That’s why it’s important we let Senators know: By not aggressively demanding that McConnell bring the VRAA to a vote, we’re holding THEM accountable for not protecting democracy.
Here’s the thing, ever since the Supreme Court made its ruling in Shelby, we’ve seen Republicans embrace voter suppression time and time again. Immediately after the ruling, Republican officials in North Carolina and Texas immediately moved to enact strict voter ID requirements and other restrictions. A federal court later struck down the North Carolina law, writing it was designed to target Black voters, “with almost surgical precision.”
But those cases are just the tip of the iceberg. Last year Democrats in Congress held field hearings around the country to gather data about voter suppression in states like North Dakota, Ohio, Georgia, and many others. We’ve seen everything from polling places closed in majority Black precincts, to egregious voter registration purges, to attempts like one in Tennessee to criminalize mistakes on voter registration forms.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, McConnell is now intentionally delaying a vote on the HEROES Act that would provide expanded vote-by-mail and other protections for voting during the pandemic this fall.
It’s important Democratic Senators get our message too. They should be CONSTANTLY demanding McConnell call the VRAA to a vote and AGGRESSIVELY calling him out in public.
Thank you for all you do,
HAZMAT America
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