Indivisibles, 

This afternoon, Senate Democrats introduced their version of the D.C. statehood bill, S. 51! Making D.C. the 51st state is critical to reforming our democracy so that it works for the people, not the powerful and wealthy. 

If granted statehood, D.C. would be the only state in the nation to have a plurality of Black residents -- which means that hundreds of thousands of Black Americans in the district would gain equal voting rights and equal representation in Congress for the first time. 

In addition to S. 51, the Senate also introduced S. 1, the For the People Act, which would get money out of politics, expand voting rights, combat corruption, secure our elections, and more. Both of these bills represent critical structural democracy reforms that are necessary to ensure that a corrupt, far-right extremist like Trump is never elected again, that our democracy is more equitable and representative of the people, and that we’re able to achieve the long-term, progressive goals that we’ve been fighting for. But even in a Democratic trifecta, passing these two bills into law isn’t a given. 

Call your senators now, and then click through to call your representative.

We need you to call your senators and demand they support D.C. statehood and the For the People Act, and urge them to move swiftly to hold hearings and vote on these bills, without letting Mitch McConnell’s Jim Crow filibuster get in the way. Then, call your representative and demand the same. And if you need any further convincing, here are two major reasons why we need to pass these crucial democracy reform bills: 

→ The For the People Act offers another step towards reforming our democracy. Donald Trump’s presidency, his attempts to steal the election, and his violent rhetoric that incited a deadly coup attempt at the Capitol made it clear that we must protect and preserve our democracy against the continued attempts by extremists to erode it. This bill includes important measures that will increase voter empowerment and access, reduce the impact of money in politics, and institute ethics rules that help end corruption. 

→ D.C. statehood would add two new senators who would work to rebalance the Senate from entrenched minority control. The current makeup of the Senate is biased towards largely white, low-population states. This means that BIPOC and people living in more populous states receive less representation in the Senate. Making D.C. a state would begin to counteract this bias.

There are so many more reasons why we’re pushing for S. 1 and S. 51, and we’ll continue to talk about them across our platforms, but in the meantime, we need to get a strong lead right out of the gate to show our members of Congress that the people demand democracy reform. First, use our new peoples' whip count to see where your members of Congress land on these key issues. Then make sure to call your senators and demand they support S. 1 and S. 51, and urge them to work swiftly to hold hearings on both bills and send them to the floor for a vote -- without letting the filibuster stand in the way of passage. Then follow up by calling your representative too. 

We know there’s a long way to go to make substantial progress in reforming our democracy (and a short window to do it), but with your help, these two bills will lay the foundation for all our progressive goals in the coming months.

In solidarity, 
Indivisible Team