John, Senate Republicans have just shown us exactly who they are. What you and I do next will make all the difference. Please call your senators right now at 1-833-497-4273 and tell them to do whatever it takes to pass the For the People Act>>>
You see, after working on infrastructure and a budget resolution during a marathon, all-night session, the Senate brought up the For the People Act very early this morning -- a bill to protect our freedom to vote, ensure fair representation, and break the grip of big money in politics.
And unfortunately, not a single Republican senator was willing to advance this transformational bill.
Remember, politicians in states like Texas and Georgia have declared all-out war on voters’ rights -- pushing anti-voter laws to rig elections and silence Black and brown voters. Now, the Senate GOP has co-signed this shameful plot by tying our government’s hands to stop it.
Here’s the good news: this morning's display could deal a fatal blow to Mitch McConnell’s strategy of obstruction. Because the fact is, it’s now strikingly clear to every single senator who supports the For the People Act that they’ll need to fix the filibuster in order to get it done.
I need your voice to drive that message home. Please call your senators today at 1-833-497-4273 and tell them -- we need to fix the filibuster to save our democracy >>
We’ve spent all summer moving the For the People Act forward. Our legislative team is putting pressure on key Senate offices, like Sen. Manchin, Sen. Sinema, and Sen. Schumer -- while our grassroots team keeps it up on the phones and in their home states.
But what happened on the Senate floor early this morning should mark a clear turning point for anyone still holding out for a compromise with the GOP. Why? Because even on individual motions to advance the bill’s most popular, bipartisan provisions, Republicans wouldn’t budge an inch -- or even let a floor debate begin.
That’s right. Every single Republican -- even senators who supposedly support solutions like exposing secret money in politics and ending gerrymandering -- was too afraid to cross McConnell’s red line.
But that doesn’t mean we’re giving up. The stakes for our democracy are simply too high.
That’s why Majority Leader Schumer has pledged to bring back up a comprehensive freedom to vote package, saying this morning on the Senate Floor that “voting rights will be the first matter of legislative business when the Senate returns to session in September.”
And, it’s why passing the For the People Act is still our top priority -- one we’ll crank up the pressure for even further once senators return in September. But what’s more clear than ever, John, -- if we want to bolster our democracy so that it works for the people, we’ll need to fix the filibuster first. Republican senators simply won’t work with us on this issue -- but fortunately, we don’t need them, because we have 50 senators officially on the record to move our democracy forward.
But they’ll only move forward if they hear from you. Even if you’ve called before, we need to flood the Senate phones today. Call 1-833-497-4273 to tell your senators we can’t sacrifice our democracy to Mitch McConnell’s filibuster.
Let’s not forget how we got here, John. We’ve been working for years to win a transformative, pro-democracy bill like the For the People Act. And, I know Common Cause members like you went all out last year to ensure the 2020 election had the highest turnout ever.
The partisan politicians who responded to that record turnout with shameless attacks on our rights won’t stop unless we stop them. And, this summer marks a once-in-a-generation chance to make that happen -- one that we simply cannot afford to let slip through our fingers.
I know I can count on you to give this fight everything you’ve got -- and help make sure we live up to the promise of our democracy.
Karen Hobert Flynn, President
and the team at Common Cause
P.S. Can you commit two hours of your time this weekend to call voters? This is the most impactful thing you can do right now -- every shift generates dozens of phone calls to key swing senators that we will need to convince. Find a day that works for you here to get started >>
