Friend,

So far this year, Republicans in states across the country have enacted at least 35 laws restricting access to voting, including mail-in voting, in-person voting, and voter registration.

Some states are even trying to allow partisan state policymakers to overturn election results verified by local nonpartisan election officials. President Biden explained in a speech this week that this “election subversion” marks the most dangerous threat to voting “in our history,” saying:

"It’s no longer just about who gets to vote or making it easier for eligible voters to vote. It’s about who gets to count the vote, who gets to count whether or not your vote counted at all."

These bills especially target Black and brown Americans’ right to vote. Here in majority-Black Detroit, we were the center of a national uproar in 2020’s presidential election, when right-wing state and national officials tried to take away our votes and intimidate our local election administrators. We can’t let this happen again, in Michigan or anywhere in this country.

That’s why we’re partnering with Denzel McCampbell, who I’ve endorsed for Detroit City Clerk, to fight back and say: We urgently need federal action to counter state-level attacks on our right to vote.

City clerks coordinate and oversee the local election process, which is a crucial role, especially during a time where our voting rights are under constant attack. But if conservative state legislatures get in the way, they need federal support.

We already have a federal bill to expand and protect our voting rights: the For the People Act. It passed the House, but was blocked in the Senate by the filibuster, which requires a supermajority of 60 votes in order to pass most legislation.

Ending the filibuster is our best option to defend our voting rights. And we need President Biden’s leadership to get it done.

Please join me and Denzel McCampell now: Sign the petition to call on Biden to support getting rid of the filibuster. It’s the only way we can pass much-needed voting rights bills.

This week, President Biden warned in a speech that this moment is “the greatest threat to democracy since the Civil War.” But it’s time to back that up with immediate action.

If we get rid of the filibuster, we can pass crucial voting rights legislation like the For the People Act—which would override many new state-level voter suppression policies. It would guarantee access to early and mail voting, as well as automatic and same-day voter registration, and it would prevent partisan gerrymandering.

We don’t have much time. While Michigan has an independent redistricting commission, many states do not. In August, those states will begin the redistricting process for 2022, which could result in new districts that favor Republicans for the next decade.

Plus, the filibuster comes from the Jim Crow era, and it’s been used for decades to deny progress. It sets up an uneven playing field that protects the broken status quo and enables a small minority to keep impeding the will of the American people. It’s time to get rid of it.

Sign now to tell President Biden: We need your support to end the filibuster, so we can pass crucial voting rights laws before it’s too late.

Thank you for taking action,

Rashida