John,

With vaccinations rolling out, children hugging their grandparents, and July 4th parties on the horizon, America feels worlds away from where it was just a few months ago. But our political crisis isn’t going anywhere, unless we act.

The For the People Act is our best opportunity to end the corruption and self-dealing that’s invaded so much of our political system. But passing it is no easy feat: We’re contending with a busy Congress, rigid political divisions, and the potential that some senators could prevent it from passing.

So it’s understandable that we’ve been getting a lot of questions about how we overcome the tricky political landscape. Read on for answers to your questions about the For the People Act, and then take two minutes to call your senators and urge them to pass the Act.

Why is democracy still in danger?

January 6th was not a climactic end to an anti-democratic attack on our nation. The threat has now moved from the Capitol steps to state legislatures, where politicians have introduced a whopping 404 bills that would restrict the freedom to vote and damage our democracy.

Every time politicians pass another anti-voter law, we lose more power to influence our own government.

Why do we need to prioritize the For the People Act right now?

The For the People Act would stop these anti-voter laws in their tracks, acting as a swift and powerful solution against this threat. Plus, it ends congressional gerrymandering, which is especially urgent: The voting maps we’ll have for the next decade are being redrawn right now.

But most importantly, the For the People Act will rid our government of the corruption and self-dealing that prevents us from solving the real problems Americans face: Housing, healthcare, infrastructure, taxes, education, and more.

To address our most important issues, we need a democratic system that actually represents us, and the For the People Act will be a groundbreaking victory towards that end.

Can’t we just pass H.R.4, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, instead?

Both of these bills are important — but H.R.4 alone wouldn’t reverse these horrible state-level bills, wouldn’t end gerrymandering, and wouldn’t stop billionaires from controlling our elections.

H.R.4 re-establishes important mechanisms to ensure states can’t impose new restrictions on voting, but it won’t do anything to the egregious laws already on the books in Georgia, Iowa, and other states. That’s why we also need to pass the For the People Act.

Okay, I’m in. But how do I help pass it?

Call your senators and tell them to pass the For the People Act.

Does calling really make a difference?

It really, really does. When you call, your message is logged and relayed to your senator and the staffers in their office crafting policy. Every single call helps your senator know how much of a priority this issue is for their constituents. It’s all about building pressure, and calls are one of the most efficient ways to do so.

Even if your senator already supports this bill, give them a call. There are so many issues senators are working on, and we need to make sure even the supportive ones know that the For the People Act needs to be their highest priority.

How can we pass the Act if senators like Joe Manchin aren’t on board?

You may have heard that Joe Manchin’s vote is crucial to pass the For the People Act, and it’s true that Manchin has a lot of influence here — but so do his 99 other Senate colleagues. Senators pressure and influence each other every day: in their meetings, chatting in their offices, or even just passing each other in the halls.

The best way to get Joe Manchin to move on the For the People Act is to make sure that every single conversation he has with his colleagues in the Capitol revolves around stopping this assault on our democracy.

Manchin himself cosponsored this same legislation in 2019 — we can get him on board this time around. And every call you make to your senator makes the message clear to them, Manchin, and the rest of Congress: The majority of Americans want this bill passed.

It’s about getting loud and in their way, and the pressure is working. Flood their voicemails and phone lines to keep the pressure up. It takes less time to call than it does to brush your teeth.

Thank you,

Damon Effingham Director, Federal Reform RepresentUs