Friend,

Today, all over the nation, people are coming together for the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Day of Action, named for the late civil rights hero and U.S. representative. A thriving democracy relies on its citizens to breathe life into its vision and values. Justice is a participatory sport, and voting is, for many, the kickoff. But today, we are trying to beat back an onslaught of efforts to push some people out of the process and make it harder, or even impossible, for many to vote. And that’s not what democracy looks like.

Just look at this year alone. Right now, more than 360 bills are winding their way through 47 different state legislatures as part of a coordinated wave of voter suppression efforts across the United States—some are even calling it Jim Crow 2.0 because of how these bills would disenfranchise working families and people of color. With the many challenges our country is facing, the stakes could not be higher for our democracy.

This has been a year of challenges for our country. We need to defeat the coronavirus, protect the health and lives of people everywhere, and fuel an economic recovery for all our families, regardless of ZIP code, and we need a healthy, functional democracy to make all that happen.

Just like our forefathers, our foremothers and our movement leaders before us, we must meet the moment and do our part to help perfect this nation. So, today, I am asking you to do at least one thing to make sure our country takes a big step forward and passes the For the People Act, a sweeping democracy reform package that would help transform our elections and make our government truly of, by and for ALL Americans.

The For the People Act is so important that it’s the No. 1 bill in both chambers of Congress. The House passed H.R. 1 last March, and the Senate Rules Committee will hold a hearing on the bill this Monday. Tell your senators: If they’re really working for the people, they must pass S. 1 now!

Making sure that every American has the freedom to thrive—no matter their race, ethnicity or wealth—includes ensuring they each have a voice in our democracy. This was John Lewis’ life’s work, and the For the People Act would enshrine basic principles of justice and fairness into law. This bill fortifies our voting rights by making it easier to vote: by promoting early voting, same-day voter registration and online voter registration, and by ending partisan gerrymandering. It will also help rebuild the trust Americans have lost in our elections and voting infrastructure by strengthening election security and cracking down on dark money donors.

It’s time for the Senate and President Joe Biden to enact these bold and commonsense reforms to heal our country and build a more just, fair and inclusive democracy. Contact your senators now and tell them to be on the right side of history by voting YES on S. 1.

Together, we can transform our democracy into one that represents, reflects and responds to all Americans. This is how we not just repair our broken systems, but build better ones in their place.

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT president