Perhaps democracy seems like a given.

• After all, it has been the system (a flawed system, a work in progress, to be sure) here in the United States for over 200 years.

• But ours is the only democracy in the world today to have survived for that long, which is barely more than a blip in the overall timeline of human civilization.

• And if you start the clock only once all Americans could (at least in theory) vote — with the 15th Amendment in 1870 prohibiting racial discrimination in voting and the 19th Amendment in 1920 prohibiting sex discrimination in voting — well, now we’re talking about something that has been around for only a century.

• Then the racist voter suppression tactics of the Jim Crow era further delayed full democracy until the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965. That’s within the lifetime of many of you reading this right now.

• And, for at least the past few decades, true democracy has been under assault from billionaires and Big Business, who have way too much influence over way too many of our politicians (a threat the Supreme Court made even worse with its absurd Citizens United ruling in 2010).

• Beyond that, partisan gerrymandering has further strained the notion of real democracy by distorting legislative districts to the point where many elected representatives in effect choose their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives.

So, the reality is that democracy is actually a rare and fragile thing. Protecting it demands every ounce of vigilance and battle we have.

Yet none of that has stopped Republican legislators in 48 states (that’s not a typo) from introducing some 389 bills making it harder for Americans — some Americans, anyway — to vote.

Many of these retrograde, racist laws have already passed, including in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, and Texas.

All of this makes what Senator Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in Congress, said this week so stunningly racist and anti-democratic.

McConnell was “explaining” his opposition — whether based in rank partisanship, reactionary obstructionism, outright racism, or some combination thereof — to the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would, among other measures to protect the franchise, restore a requirement the Supreme Court struck down a few years ago that states with histories of voter suppression must get approval from the federal government before changing their voting laws.

Here’s what McConnell said:

“There’s no threat to the voting rights law. It’s against the law to discriminate in voting on the basis of race already, and so I think it’s unnecessary.”

Tell Mitch McConnell:

The 15th Amendment was necessary. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was necessary. And the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is necessary. Why? Because politicians like you keep trying to undermine our democracy by making it harder, if not downright impossible, for some of us to vote. You will be remembered as someone who aligned himself with the sinister strains of racism and anti-democracy that have coursed through American history. We will fight you. And we will win.

Add your name.

Thanks for taking action.

For democracy,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

P.S. For half a century, Public Citizen has been advancing policies that put the needs of everyday Americans before the greed of billionaires and Big Business. That legacy of progress and that ongoing work could not matter more right now, as our nation transitions to a Joe Biden presidency that will be as progressive as we — you and Public Citizen, together — make it. We’re also busy undoing all the damage Trump did. And, like so many nonprofits and small businesses, we continue to experience financial strain related to the coronavirus pandemic. If you can, please make an emergency donation today to support the critical work we’re doing together or even join our popular Monthly Giving program. Thank you.
 
 
Public Citizen | 1600 20th Street NW | Washington DC 20009 | Unsubscribe